Systems and methodologies providing controlled collaboration among a plurality of users

ABSTRACT

A system provides for controlled collaboration among a plurality of users. The method as illustrated is comprised of a plurality of computing appliances, each having a display apparatus and an input apparatus. A presentation is displayed on at least two of the display apparatus. User data is provided having an associated presentation responsive to user input via the input apparatus by a user associated with the computing appliances. User data is stored in a non-transient memory as associatively mapped to the computing appliance providing the user input. A collaborative presentation is generated comprised of the display presentation and the associated presentations for a least some of the input data in the memory that is associatively mapped to at least two of the computing appliances. The collaborative presentation is displayed on the display apparatus of at least one of the computing appliances.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/102,879, issued on Mar. 24, 2015, as U.S. Pat. No.8,990,677, from which this present patent application [application Ser.No.14/667,657] claims priority as a continuing application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the use of computer systemsand applications as a tool in working with documents, and moreparticularly to a family of systems, methods and apparatus forfacilitating and managing a complete and thorough manner to concurrentlyview and collaborate on a document (or documents), and providenavigation, editing of images and providing user interfaces, andproviding data storage and management infrastructures and mechanisms,such that the present invention provides for multiple user real-timecollaboration, and to apparatus, systems and methods for multipleindividual users each separately and concurrently being able to bemodifying as a group a core graphical image, and selectively choosingand displaying chosen ones of the users' modifications along with thecore graphical image.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are computer programs that permit a single user to type textand/or draw via a computer keyboard and/or mouse or other pointingdevice. An example is a Word Processor (such as Word by MicrosoftCorporation, Redmond, Wash., as well as other programs such asWordPerfect, OpenOffice, etc.).

These Word Processor programs often permit the use of tracking ofchanges made by a user to a document. Thus, a first version of a basedocument from a first user can be saved as a new and separate documentfile (a base version of the base document), which file is then sharedwith a second user (or multiple other users). Then, that second usercreates and saves a new and separate document file (a new second versionof the base document), wherein that second user can make edits to thebase document with tracking turned on so that it creates that new secondversion of the base document which is a red-lined markup version of thefirst version of a base. Then, a next user (such as either the firstuser or a third user) can receive and open that new and separatedocument file (the second version of the base document) and that nextuser creates and saves a new and separate document file (a new thirdversion of the base document), wherein that next user can make edits tothe second version of the base document with tracking turned on so thatit creates that new third version of the base document which is ared-lined markup version of the second version of a base document. Andthis process can keep repeating over and over, and so on and so on,creating more and more new and separate document files (a new nextversion of the base document), wherein the next user makes edits to theprevious version of the base document with tracking turned on so that itcreates that new next version of the base document which is a red-linedmarkup version of the previous version of the base document. Then, whendesired, at some point in this process, a latest one of the red-lineddocument versions can be “accepted” and saved as a new and separatedocument file which is a clean version of that latest red-lined versionbut with no red-ling showing, only the final result of deletions andadditions of the totality of red-lining in the accepted version.

During this process, there are multiple new and separate document filescreated, one new and separate document file taken for each turn by eachuser for the set of separate edits made by that user during that turn bythat user. And, this process inherently causes delays because there is aneed to wait for each turn of a user to be completed before a next usercan begin his/her turn of making edits and inputs.

Furthermore, there is also the case where the base version of the basedocument goes to multiple other users. Then, each one of the multipleother users individually and separately creates his/her own new andseparate document file (creating multiple ones of a second version ofthe base document), wherein each one of the multiple other users makeshis/her own set of separate edits to the base version of the basedocument (making the edits with tracking turned on) so that he/shecreates a different one of multiple ones of a second version of the basedocument, each one of which is a red-lined markup version of the firstversion of the base document. At that point, there are real problems,because now each and every one of the multiple users needs to look ateach different one of multiple ones of a second version of the basedocument for each of the other ones of the multiple users, while alsolooking at their own separate one of the second version of the basedocument, in order to understand the inputs made by each of the multipleusers. This is a slow, inefficient and frustrating manner to work. Andit leads to a loss of momentum and to confusion. This process is again astep at a time, back and forth, seriatim, and not concurrent.

An alternative to this process with Word Processor and tracking, andsending new and separate document file versions of a base documentversion back and forth, is to work online as a group with a shared filethat keeps being updated with changes as they are occurring, but stilloccurring with only one user in control (making his/her edits/inputs ata time, in a seriatim usage manner. [An example of such a tool with oneuser in control at a time, and seriatim use, is “GoogleDocs”, availableat docs.google.com, or at www.google.com, owned by Google, Inc., ofMountain View, Calif.]

Initially, a first version of a base document from a first user is savedas a new and separate document file (a base version of the basedocument), which file is then centrally stored on a Google computerserver, which file is then shared via that server and an Internetcoupling with multiple other users). Any one of the other users canselect to take control and make an edit to the shared document. As theedit is made, the shared file on the server is updated to create andsave a new and separate document file (anew second version of the basedocument) that contains those edits to the base document. Then, a nextuser (such as either the first user or a third user) takes control andhe/she can edit that shared server document file (the second version ofthe base document), and when those edits are made, the shared file onthe server is again updated to create and save another new and separatedocument file (a new third version of the base document) that containsthose edits to the base document. And this process can keep repeatingover and over, and so on and son on, creating more and more new andseparate document files (a new next version of the base document).

During this process, there are multiple new and separate document filescreated and saved and stored on the server, one new and separatedocument file for each turn taken by each user. And, this processinherently causes delays because there is a need to wait for each turnof a user to be completed before a next user can begin his/her turn ofmaking edits and inputs. And, it leads to a loss of momentum and toconfusion. This process is again a step at a time, back and forth,seriatim, and not concurrent.

There are drawing programs and illustration programs that are singleuser with a single document on a single computer, which permit multiplelayers to be utilized to create an image. However, these are for singleuser use, and do not work for multiple user collaboration. [An exampleof such a tool with one user in control at a time, and seriatim use, is“Photoshop”, available from Adobe at www.adobe.com (Adobe SystemsIncorporated, of San Jose, Calif.] This is a slow, inefficient andfrustrating manner to work. This process is again seriatim, and notconcurrent.

There are also programs that permit communications via email permittingsending and receiving of communications (text with or without attachedfiles) to be sent back and forth between users. [An example of such atool with one user in control at a time, and seriatim use, is“Thunderbird”, available from www.Mozilla.org.] This is a slow,inefficient and frustrating manner to work. And, it leads to a loss ofmomentum and to confusion. This process is again a step at a time, backand forth, seriatim, and not concurrent.

There are also programs that permit communications via instant messagingto permit multiple users to text message back and forth. Thesecommunicate text messages back and forth, but do not permitcollaborative work upon a common base document text or image. This is aslow, inefficient and frustrating manner to work. And, it leads to aloss of momentum and to confusion. This process is again a step at atime, back and forth, seriatim, and not concurrent.

There are also programs that permit conferencing communications viavoice (using a microphone and speaker) or via video (using a video orstill camera) among multiple users. These permit voice communication orcamera-based video communication in a very limited manner, but do notpermit concurrent collaborative edits and inputs in real-time to beperformed upon a common base document (text or image).

There are also problems that permit communications wherein there isconferencing where one specific user at a time is in control (oftenreferred to as that user having the token), wherein that one specificuser can show what is on his/her computer screen to be viewed by otherviewing users who can only passively watch based upon that one specificuser's display. [An example of such a web-conferencing tool with oneuser in control at a time, and seriatim use, is “WEBEX” atwww.webex.com, owned by Cisco Systems, Inc., of San Jose, Calif.] Atsome point, that one specific user can decide to give up control, andcan decide to select a document file stored on that one specific user'scomputer, or that one specific user can choose to save a first versionof a base document from that one specific user's computer, and thatfirst version of a base document is then shared with one or multipleother users.

Then, the control (the token) is taken over by another user. That otheruser can then show what is on his/her computer screen to be viewed byother viewing users who can only passively watch based upon thatspecific another user's display. That display can be somethingindependent of what the first user was showing, or can be a display ofthe first version of a base document from that one specific user'scomputer.

At some point, that specific another user can decide to give up control,and can decide to select a document file stored on that specific anotheruser's computer, or that one specific user an choose to save anotherversion of the base document (which is an edited version of the firstversion of a base document (which is an edited version of the firstversion of a base document from that one specific user's computer), andthat another version of a base document can then be shared with one ormultiple other users. And, this process can keep repeating over andover, and so on and so on, creating more and more new and separatedocument files (a new another version of the base document), wherein anext another user makes edits to the previous version of the basedocument, so that it creates that new next another version of the basedocument.

This alternative is a low, inefficient and frustrating manner to work.And, it leads to a loss of momentum and to confusion. This process isagain a step at a time, back and forth, seriatim, and not concurrent.

This invention provides for an efficient, real-time documentcollaboration system that provides an unique ability to separate theinput of users and provide customized and dynamic presentations of thedocument with edits to each user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Document collaboration (“DC”) is a powerful paradigm. Documentcollaboration provides a unique vehicle, to concurrently work withothers, (1) in simultaneously viewing a same-base document image, (2)any or all users can annotate at the same time, and (3) all users cansee the real-time annotations of all other ones of the users that are ina same group. Its embodiment is a powerful tool to its users. Itprovides a new user interface paradigm—like FaceBook. Documentcollaboration is an enabling medium upon which can be built a set ofusage practices and protocols to allow the medium to be adapted to theoperations of a target use.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, theconcurrent use of document collaboration is used in conjunction with andconcurrently with conferencing (such as audio, video, screen sharing,application sharing, etc.).

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, “documentcollaboration” is combined in various permutations with the“conferencing solutions” and results in special synergy.

The document collaboration solution works with a wide-range of manydifferent target markets (each which for separate reasons cares aboutdocument collaboration features). With document collaboration, users canfocus on working directly on the core base document. Each user canwrite, draw or type text as user annotations that appear in the displaypresentation that is made viewable to all users in the workinggroup/team.

The legal market is a good fit, because they are not focused on givingof presentations, but rather the focus is on working with documents andtracking of “who said what”

As used herein, the term, “conferencing solutions”, refers primarily toa screen sharing and/or and audio/video conferencing tool.

As used herein, the term “screen sharing” refers to the user that is apresenter has a selected window of the screen display image on theircomputer desktop as displayed on their desktop screen display iscommunicated to and displayed upon the displays of all other users.

As used herein, an “audio/video tool” provides all equipment and toolsfor people to be connected to one another ranging from using web-camsand microphones to audio-only phone calls. Just as there can besplit-screen video of different users' subsets of annotations, there isa parallel analogy in the audio and audio/video areas (such as usingmultiple channels (switched/controlled) for multiple chats at once.Audio can be separately sent to other people on the team through thecomputing system hosting the document collaboration or via a separatephone conference (e.g., POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) or Internet orcable).

As used herein, “document collaboration” permits users (each at aseparate computer display) to all commonly view, collaborate upon andwork on (discuss and annotate) documents, and manage a library ofdocuments.

All users commonly view the same image display for an underlyingdocument being worked on. As annotations are made by a first user thatappear in that first user's display as markings showing atop the imageof the underlying document, the annotations can also be seensimultaneously by other users as appearing in each of the other users'displays also aligned for viewing atop the image of the underlyingdocument.

Conferencing solutions are about people interaction and transitoryvisuals that are momentarily displayed or audio sounds that aremomentarily played. Conferencing solutions do not permit management ofdocuments or groups of documents.

With document collaboration, the users are concerned about thedevelopment of a document.

With conference solutions, the users' concern is to discuss something(e.g., a subject or document).

The collaboration technology of the present invention maintainsinformation about the development and evolution of the document (layersof annotation data mapped and stored by User Identification and byAnnotation Timing).

With the present invention, each user's annotations are logically mappedand correlated to a document. This is one focus of the collaboration.However, another novel perspective is how the annotations are correlatedto the document and presented to the users.

Annotations for each of the users are stored and separated into userlayers or user Data Layers. In addition to the annotation data stored inthe user layers, there is also stored meta-data as to when (date, time)those annotations were made, and by whom. This provides a time line andownership of annotation data, a related meta-data defining how thedocuments were created and evolved.

Another novel area is utilizing the perspective and paradigm of workingon the viewable image of a document and using “images of annotations”aligned atop the image of the document. The annotation data is thusrepresentative of the display presentation for annotations of arespective user as aligned to and written atop the underlying document.

With user ID and timing information for the annotation data, it makes iteasier to be able to reconstruct “who said what when”, and to maintaininformation about the development and evolution of the document.

This information (about the development and evolution of the document)that is maintained can then be utilized for selective viewing ofannotations by user or group or sub-group of users, and/or by time ofentry or by other criteria.

By contrast, “The conferencing solutions” are one user at a time. Allannotations are in the same single layer in a conferencing solution.There are limited tracking of annotations made by members of theconference and if they are available it isn't easy to separate varioususers from the final result because they do not maintain each user'smarkings in a separate Data Layer. The conferencing solutions may noteven provide a final markup of a document. It does not even provide anyconcurrent markup of a document.

Conferencing solutions may permit a user who is presenting at the timeto markup or annotate his/her screen. Others may be given theopportunity to further markup the document but it doesn't get maintainedin the document. The screen that was annotated can be saved outside thedocument on a “per page” basis. These saved screens with annotationsmust be manually correlated later by the user who maintains the workproduct.

Conferencing solutions do allow all annotations to be placed on onelayer over an underlying document. Individual annotations can be removedbut since all users contribute to the same single layer, the individualcontributions by user is lost and the order of the development of thedocument with annotations is lost.

The collaboration technology of the present invention is a better toolthan standard conference tools in those instances where the documentitself is the center of attention (that needs to be changed) [ratherthan the focus being a presentation and personal interaction].

There are other document collaboration tools available other than thecollaboration technology of the present invention but many do notprovide real-time editing. None allow for multiple Data Layers forseparating the user's additions or for creating a new Base Data Layerfrom previous edits. They provide a single Data Layer for providing theannotations, markings and edits to the existing document.

Also, the collaboration technology of the present invention is apeer-to-peer solution whereas the conference solutions and otherdocument collaboration solutions are a client/server model. (Thecollaboration technology of the present invention can also beimplemented in a client/server model as well.) The collaborationtechnology of the present invention can operate on a local area networkwhere every appliance can communicate with any of the other appliances.This provides the flexibility to operate, even when Internet access oris not available.

One of the difficulties with a peer-to-peer solution is thatcommunications over the Internet is conducted in a server-to-server orclient-to-server manner. Client-to-client communications are generallynot possible directly on the Internet for a variety of practical andtechnical reasons. The collaboration technology of the present inventionavoids this by using an Internet server that the peer-to-peer clientsconnect to. Then the server allows messages from one client to be passedto other clients that are connected to the same server. The peer-to-peermessages are maintained but the client-to-client connection is simulatedby the client/server connections. The server does not have significantcomputational requirements so it can handle more clients. The server isalso not storing large amounts of information for all the users. This ismaintained on the user's systems. Security issues with centralizedstorage of information is minimized. Still the redundancy of the data ismaintained at each user's local appliance. This allows each user toaccess the documents, albeit maybe not in direct collaboration withothers, any time, anywhere.

Our document collaboration system provides control of the operation ineach system with data also flowing between systems. Client/serversystems generally require that you be able to access the server toaccess the documents unless local storage for all documents are providedon the user's appliance. This either makes it impractical to access thedocuments reduces the benefits of a centralized storage of documentinformation. The server in addition controls most of the aspect of thesystem. This does allow for better centralized control of the use of thesystem but it also puts a “middle-man” between the user and gettingtheir job done. If control of the users is minimized in a centralizedserver then the benefits of this control is minimized for a centralserver and a peer-to-peer solution is more appropriate.

When our systems are used in a local network the bandwidth is notlimited by Internet connectivity or server bandwidth, only by the userappliances. On the other hand our system and all peer-to-peer systemshave more synchronization issues of data since the data is generallyreplicated across several systems. If a system is not connected to theteam and activities take place, the system must be brought up-to-date tothe rest of the team and the team must be brought up-to-date to changesmade by the user.

Even where the collaboration technology of the present invention is abetter solution for a customer than conferencing above, there are alsomany situations where some or all of the features in the conferencing(e.g., audio and/or video) solution are beneficially added to thedocument collaboration. This combines the best of conferencing anddocument collaboration to allow real-time discussions to occur as thedocuments are edited. This minimized miss-communication and providesinstant feedback.

In its simplest form, the document collaboration is utilizable as a toolused in conjunction with a concurrent use of a telephone or videoconference. Alternatively, an online conferencing can be utilized forvoice or video.

For instance, Skype is an online audio and/or video conferencing systemthat provides the typical conference solutions. This could be done in asplit screen mode with the document collaboration on one part of thesplit-screen display and the conferencing being shown in another part ofthe split-screen display. Furthermore, if desired, the base documentbeing worked on (e.g., a Word document) can be shown in yet another partof the split-screen display.

A starting document provides an underlying canvas referenced andutilized in common by all users for joint collaboration. The startingdocument can be a Word document file, or Excel file, or image file(e.g., JPEG, PDF) or any computer file. The starting document isconverted into an importable format for an equivalent image file for itsassociated display presentation.

This starting document has a respective associated display presentation,which forms the underling image file utilized as the underlying canvasfor the collaborative display of the underlying image of the startingdocument.

In document drafting, the starting document file format is usually atext or word processing [“.doc”—Word] file, such as for the Word textdocument corresponding to the associated display presentation.

This is the base document which has a corresponding underlying imageupon which are overlaid all annotations thereafter drawn, written,typed-in, or otherwise provided, responsive to input by each of multipleusers each at a respective one of the plurality of computing systems.This collaboration continues iterating, continuing to generate arespective updated version of a collaborative display output andcontinuing until the result evolves into a final consensus of what thedocument should be (as shown in its updated version of a collaborativedisplay output having an associated display presentation wherein,ultimately consensus is reached in the form of a final collaborativedisplay output with associated display presentation).

This results in generating a final agreed-to document [whether it be anagreement, a patent application, a prospectus, litigation papers, one ormore drawings, or any multimedia object (audio and/or video-visual)],which also are provided in the generation of the display presentationfor final collaborative display output, which comprises as theunderlying image the respective associated display presentation for theoriginal starting (base document), upon which is overlaid the respectiveassociated display presentations for each of multiple image layers, eachcomprised of a semi-transparent overlay image for the video presentationrepresentative of respective annotations for each user as stored in arespective one of the multiple layers which annotations are drawn,written and typed-in by each of the multiple users.

The end result of this joint collaboration with multiple users atmultiple respective computing systems is to provide a final resultobtained by consensus reached by collaboratively annotating relative tothe image of the starting document, and relative to the overlaidannotations of each and all of the multiple users. This final result isprovided as a video presentation that is the final collaborative displayoutput representing the END RESULT of multiple users annotating relativeto a common display of a current updated version of a collaborativedisplay output progressing to generate the display presentation for thefinal collaborative display output.

With our technology, all users make modifications individually and inparallel, concurrently, in real-time, that are stored in anassociatively mapped data layer in memory as associated with therespective user making the input of annotations. Those modifications mayor may not be sent to all users. The modifications may or may not besent to one or more other users. The annotation data for themodifications (or annotations) are selectively sent to other users basedon what the defined Role of each of the other users in the defined Team.

For instance, in an Education Team, the appliances with a defined Roleof students only send those modifications (edits) made by the Studentappliances to the appliances with a defined role of Teachers. TheStudent appliances do not send to other Students' appliances in terms ofcommunication).

The third component is that each of those appliances can merge themodifications that they have for display on a local display. An examplewould be in the education mode, if you are a student role, then yourappliance always displays the teacher layers/images and your appliancealso always displays your own user layer. Whereas only, if you are ateacher role, the user of the teacher appliance can either select to seeonly the display of the teacher layer (or layers) or alternatively, thedisplay can be of the image from the teacher layer along with the imagefrom the respective student layer(s) for a Student, or you can see allof the displays present at each of the students' appliances shown inmultiple small images plus the display for the teacher layer selectivelymerged with the core/base document along with each individual students'appliances shown in small picture images. The teacher can select fromthree different views (+/_views as design choice), or the teacher'sappliance can display the choice of the user of the teacher appliancefor each of those views, whenever you are in one of those views, thatalso determines what modifications you can make to the displayeddocument from that view. In the first example, where you are looking atteacher-only display, you are able to modify the teacher layer. If youare viewing a display for a particular student, then you as the teacherare able to do editing or modifying of that respective student's layer.If you are viewing a display on the teacher's appliance of all thestudents, then you cannot make any modifications to any of them from theteacher's appliance in this mode.

With a Team, there are three things: we have a tem made up of multiplemembers or users (at least two), each user at a respective appliance.Each member has a role in the team, and has capabilities that arepermitted based on the role of the team. Examples of these capabilitiesinclude: 1) what modifications a user can make based on their specificrole; and 2) what sort of data level mergers are going to be made inproviding a display; and 3) who (to which other members/users) do theycommunicate their modifications to, and 4) in what specific data layersare their modifications stored and what data is stored in which datalayers. It is not just about managing which appliances to send themodifications to, but it is what layers to send the modifications to bestored in the receiving appliance, and which data layer the respectivedata is to be stored in on the receiving appliance.

Consider an example of an education team with teacher and student roles.There are multiple views where the view that is taken as a subsetdetermines other feature sets. For example, the teacher can write anddisplay but the feature set that the teacher activates is dependent onthe mode or the view that the teacher puts their appliance into. So ifthe teacher goes into a teacher mode, then the teacher is going to viewa display presentation using only the teacher layer but themodifications the teacher makes will be sent to all students' appliancesto be stored in a teacher data layer therein and to be provided as apart of a display presentation thereto. In fact, all other appliances ofall students and all teachers will store and display the modifications.Whereas, checkerboard multiple student and teacher mode, then thedisplay presentation shown to each teacher will see a checkerboardlayout of screen displays for all students and teachers, each screendisplay shown in a thumbnail or filmstrip-type display, but only theteacher sill be able to select one of the checkerboard images to bringto full screen and switch to a one-on-one interactive mode. In themultiple screen view mode, there is selection of a screen and/or viewingmode, but there are no modifications or changes or layers that arecommunications. The teacher can simply move to another view with theexception that any modifications that are happening in real time on ascreen being viewed will be shown on the checkerboard. So the teachercan see the other modifications happening in real time, but in multiplescreen view-mode, the teacher cannot make any modifications in her role.

A third role for the teacher is a private communications where theteacher touches the screen for one of the students' thumbnails (insteadof the teachers). By touching a specific student's thumbnail, theteacher selects a one-on-one mode, where the teacher's modificationsappear on that student's screen for viewing by the student in real time,even if the student is also concurrently writing. The student can erasewhat the teacher has written when in the one-on-one mode, but not whatthe teacher has written during when the teacher was in the teacher layermode. The role of teacher and the mode of operation not only affectswhat the teacher as the appliance in that view can do, but it alsoaffects the rights and privileges of what the receiving appliance can dowith the modifications it receives. So if the teacher sent themodification in the teacher mode with the teacher layer only, and withthe changes made, then the student, when they receive it, cannot eraseor change that modification. But, if the teacher is in a one-on-oneprivate network and makes a change, the student can erase that change.

On the student appliance, the user can always modify the students' layerand can communicate the student layer changes/modifications to all theteachers. So, the student's role does not change, and its user alwayscan selectively see displayed the changes of the student layer. However,teacher changes can select different modes of which data layer theteacher's appliance it is modifying from the teacher layer in teachermode to a particular student's layer in the one-on-one mode.

On a one-on-one network, the teacher is modifying the student's layerand therefore, the student has access to un-modify it. This determineswhich layers are being modified.

More specific language or restrictive language to the claim to havespecific limitations on what layers are modified, what modifications towhich layers are sent to other appliances, and what other appliancesdisplay from the merger of which layers and the document.

When an ad-hoc meeting is conducted for collaborative work, eachappliance has one user layer file. The user of any appliance can selecta portion of said user layer file that is the user layer file for thatrespective appliance or stored locally at that respective appliance orstored as the user layer file for that respective appliance but storedin one or more of any of the plurality of the appliances. Each appliancehas its own respective associated user layer file for storing data forthat user/appliance. Each appliance has a respective one user data layerfile (out of a plurality of data layers stored in a layer storagememory) associated with that respective appliance. In user edit mode,the respective appliance can make modifications to its own onerespective user data layer.

A communicating user of an appliance can select one of the otherappliances, and they can select a portion of their own data layer tocommunicate to one of the other appliances and then the communicationselect portion is stored. In the one mode, the selected user data layerfile for storage of data layers at each appliance as it receives data.Thus, the received data is stored in the respective one user data layerfile as associated by the receiving appliance. So it is receivingappliance that stores received edit data for each respective user inrespective user data layers. So in laymen's terms, we have a bunch ofstands there.

Everyone has their own user selected. They draw a lasso around someannotations that they have made on their display and select them. Thatis the selected portion. Then, they click on “send” and they can sendthe selected portion to one or all of the appliances that are innetworked communications. The receiving appliance takes thoseannotations and puts those annotations in the same data layer that theother appliances are currently using for storage of similarly originatededits, for that said user. So the user can thereafter delete them oredit them from there.

User 1 is using an appliance (appliance 1). Appliance 1 has anassociated storage user data layer (named “D”). User 2 is usingAppliance 2. Appliance 2 has its own associated user layer, a user layername “R”. The two appliances communicate. Appliance 2 makes edits toPage 4 of his music. Appliance 2's user layer R (associated with Page 4)is selected and that portion is sent to Appliance 1. That portion iswritten into Appliance 1′s user layer D (associated with Page 4).Appliance 1 does not write user data layer R on to Appliance 1, and thendo a merge of data layer R (for Page 4) and data layer D (for Page 4).This could however also be done, in order to gain the ability to keepthe edits sent to you separate from the edits that you were making. [Inthe music mode, we do that. Essentially that. For the feature set ofbeing able to distinguish edits shared in the document in real time,then wouldn't you want to be able to do what I said, which is toassociate the changes you made to a portion of modifications you madefor selected portion of your user layer that is associated with arespective selected portion of a common underlying document and youruser layer would be communicated and stored as a separate user layer,the R layer for example.] So, Appliance 1, when connected to Appliance2, would add an R layer and to Appliance 1 and would add a D layer toAppliance 2. So all the appliances would contain data layers for allnetworked appliances in collaboration so that users could do and undothe edits as they needed to.

Let us suppose a person, user A made changes to a number of particularpages, and has sent the annotation data for the modifications for afirst page to another person (user B). User A also sends the annotationdata for modification to page two to user C. User A also sendsannotation data for modifications to the third page of modifications.User A asks all three of those people, users B, C and D, to modify thepages. Users B, C and D have also have been making some changes,independently, on their own. With the present invention, all thatindividual input collaboratively can be integrated and work together toresult in a complete record of the activity. Each user's annotations arestored in an associatively mapped one data layer. All input ofannotations (edits) by a user persists in the storage of the respectiveannotation data in the respective one data layer. The result of thecombining the layers is the completed all-in-one document. Each usersends back to the other users, the annotation data as stored in thatuser's respective said data layers. By creating user data layers on eachappliance, each appliance has a mirror of the content in the set of datalayers in local memory of all the other appliances and the users cantrack changes by user and by time back and forward.

Thus, in the example of document sharing by users where after multipleusers entries, a user is unable to allow you to individually take andremove certain edits made by one user or another, such as because theshared document just keeps adding all users changes in time to a singlecommon layer. By contrast, in accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention, the documents' modifications are separated and stored andorganized by user data layer. Prior art document sharing creates a layerfor all users' environment. Whereas in accordance with this aspect ofthe present invention, in an ad-hoc mode, every user that logs on hastheir own user layer that they are editing. They may also get some editsform some other people and some not. An, everybody actually has a chanceto have their set of edits on that document. With prior art documentsharing a letter with some blanks left in it, is a common base documentthat everyone sees and everyone makes their own independent (concurrent)edits to that document. Let us suppose that everyone is customizing thedocument for a letter which will be going out to a companies a, b, andc. Each user has a, b, and c companies that they are sending it out to.They are making their own custom edits to change that. There is no setof associative data layer storage to individually store annotations.Rather one data layer overwrites all users annotations to a commonelement atop one another. If user A selects a word “Red”, and user Bchanges it to “Blue”, and user C changes it to “Brown” and user Dchanges it to “Green”, then user A sees only “Green” and none of theother comments from other users Wheres with the present invention andassociatively mapped data layer storage, each user's edits are viewableand can be turned “on” or “off” selectively. You can make changes andsend that change to everybody or just certain people in certain groupsand change that clause in there and everybody gets it.

For example, for a particular company, somebody else might want to goand override and change it back because of some contractual relationshipor something. That is a peer-to-peer communication implemented by eachuser having a layer and communicating.

Data layer storage can be centralized or distributed with each localappliance having a layer locally stored. Each appliance could have anassociated one of the data layers that is for storing that user'sannotation and then centrally stored (in a set of data layers).

In an appliance mode embodiment, each local appliance has computingpower and stores the database in the set of data layers (locally storingthe multiple data layers in that database).

In a centrally stored embodiment, it would require that the centraldatabase be maintained so that the contained layers (or sets of layers)are stored for every user and a merged output is provided to each usercomprised of the global or common layer, plus either the individuallayer for just that user or the individual layers for all users or asubset of users. This would require that the system differentiate basedon who/which user appliance is communicating and if displayed through abrowser as to what it would provide an output part of the mergeddatabase is to be locally stored for display.

The advantage of a central server is that it always has all the storagefor all the appliances available to it. IT could actually potentially doa few more things. It also has not synchronization issues, since with acentral server, all storage is all in one place, or a few places, withfewer synchronization issues. There is also fewer synchronization issuesbecause the data layers are all stored in a central place. Thedisadvantage is that the system always has to be connected to thatcentral server in order to do anything. Users cannot work independentlyat all. There are also some potential speed issues because you have toconnect and go over a communication line to the central server.

In a preferred embodiment, there is also provided for at least two ofthe users' voice communications provided concurrently with thecollaboration via annotations. This is a further parallel of asame-place/same-time work environment.

A voice communication happening at the same time as the documentcollaboration provides for discussing the collaboration and thesuggested changes while they are being made by the user viewing thecomputer display presentation.

In one embodiment, a PDF file of the printout of the final collaborativedisplay output represents the END RESULT of using the collaborationsystem in collaborative sessions by multiple users concurrently viewingand annotating relative to a same video display presentation to create athen version of final collaborative display presentation output.

In a preferred embodiment, the collaboration system continuously updatesfrom its initial (or then current) starting document to utilize a newnext starting document image that is to be utilized as an underlyingdisplay presentation from which to create a next final collaborativedisplay presentation output representative of the next current baseunderlying image.

In one embodiment, an administrative user who is typing revisions to thestarting document file, (e.g., in Word format), can utilize asplit-screen display presentation, displaying the final collaborativeoutput display on one part of a large LCD screen in a split screen modeand on the other part of the large screen (in the LCD split screen modeof the display apparatus) there is displayed the display presentationfor the in-process starting document file [e.g., such as an open Worddocument running in Word as the starting document].

Using one part of the display presentation screen for the Word document,then the other part of the display presentation screen is used to seethe results of the collaboration and what the substance of theannotations are in the final collaborative display presentation output.The administrative user can utilize that information to decide whatchanges are needed to be made to the starting document and then toactually make those changes to the starting document itself (e.g., theWord document) so that it corresponds to the final collaborative displaypresentation output.

Where annotations made by a user during collaboration are input bytyping of text, then that text is stored in the collaborative documentfile format as a portion thereof that is usable in text format (e.g., tocopy/paste between documents). The collaborative system permits theadministrative user who is revising the starting document to copy andpaste to or from any text that was typed by any of the multiple usersinto the collaborative file and to permit that user to take the copiedtext and to move it from within the file format of the collaborationtechnology of the present invention, and thereafter pasting the copiedtext into a Word (or other) document as text in the proper respectivelocation in the starting document relative to the same correspondinglocation in the final collaborative display presentation output [sincethat “output” represents the image of the display presentation of therespective starting document]. Alternatively, or additionally, text canbe copied from an external document (e.g., Word, Excel, text, or otherdocument, or an Internet web-page), and pasted into a document in thecollaboration technology of the present invention.

This saves a lot of time (especially for longer phrases) both ineliminating the retyping the text, and in eliminating having to re-proofthe re-typed text in the Word document.

Consider the case where a Word file corresponds to an original base orstarting document, from which an initial version of a collaborativedisplay presentation output was obtained as the underlying image.

Starting from this initial version of a collaborative displaypresentation output (having a corresponding respective data file formatstructure and logic), and after many hours of multiple users annotatingand creating an updated multilayer file version having a continuouslyupdated collaborative display presentation output, continuing to beupdated, until a final consensus is reached having a correspondingrespective final collaborative display presentation output.

In one embodiment, there are multiple users who are respective primarydeal workers and one or more administrative support workers. The primarydeal workers are the ones that concurrently use the collaborativedocument system to create the final collaborative display presentationoutput.

A server or server-less networking system can be used.

The collaboration technology of the present invention bridges the“physical presence gap” that makes it hard to work with same documentswith multiple users in different locations as compared to working withthose documents in the same way as if the multiple users were all in asingle room in the same location working on the same physicaldocument(s).

The collaboration technology of the present invention utilize thestarting document to provide an underlying canvas upon which themultiple users can reference to individually or concurrently work uponto annotate an overlaid image layer that is visually aligned relative tothe respective associated display presentation for the startingdocument. The corresponding display presentation output is created bylayers of overlaid user annotations relative to the underlying image.The final collaborative display presentation output is created utilizingthe underlying canvas representative of, and overlays representative of,a final collaborative mutual consensus and agreement, which isrepresented by the display presentation of the final collaborativedisplay output.

The collaboration technology of the present invention enables users atremote locations (“remote users”) to concurrently work together on acommon document as though the remote users were physically in the samelocation working on the same physical document. And, beyond just workingon a static common underlying document, there is additionally provided asense of images of an evolving (with users' annotations overlaid uponthe common document).

In accordance with another aspect of the collaboration technology, usersin a same physical location (“local user”) are able to precisely,visually communicate with annotations overlaid atop a specific visuallyseen location in a selected document. This is a new level that does noteven exist without the the collaboration technology of the presentinvention.

The collaboration technology of the present invention provides a userthe ability to precisely communicate exactly specific thoughts as avisual overlay of that user's input of annotations appearing at theuser's selected specific location/position within (aligned atop thedisplay presentation of) a document being worked on collaboratively by aplurality of users as a group (or team, or additionally, members of agroup within groups-sub-groups; and members of teams withinteams-sub-teams). A user can instantly highlight for all to see, and letother users know specific selected location (words that bother me in asentence that has been written). A user can look at an image such as aCAT-Scan, and the user can circle or highlight to effectively point allother users to focus on a specific selected region of the CAT-Scan imageand this enables each user to immediately mark-up and communicate toother users looking at that same common core image document (in thisexample, the CAT-Scan image). This would also be highly beneficial to aremote user(s) linked to other users and/or databases (resident local),and/or remote databases that can be accessed. For example, an emergencyworker could get access to each work with a schematic of wiring of aphone closet, or of the water piping or ventilation in a publicbuilding, etc. This provides an ability to collaborate in an emergencysituation occurs such as between firemen and crew, through working anddiscussing with someone how to fix a problem.

The collaboration technology of the present invention can also be usedin business to communicate among remotely located individuals [such asfor use in a shareholders' meeting, such as to communicate with theofficers of the company, by a plurality of users in (each) participatingvia a computer display subsystem to collaborate at a conference,providing a way for the attendees to communicate with the presenters,and vice-versa.]

It can also be used for purposes, such as meetings (or conferencecalls/collaboration sessions) for document preparation, use in lawsuitsand discovery (where there are thousands of pages of documents and thecollaboration technology of the present invention provides the abilityto precisely pinpoint exactly from which discovery step, or which word,or which part of what drawing, or what part of an agreement).

In each of these cases, there is a common core document where thedocument can be an agreement (or proposal, or legal brief, orprospectus, or marketing plan, etc.), where there is specific languagethat is not acceptable, the collaboration technology of the presentinvention allows each and all of multiple users to show other multipleusers precisely the location (circle or highlights, etc.) what is notacceptable, and to also precisely correct it (e.g., insert typed orwritten annotations with arrow pointing to location point for insertionof the annotations), and let all users see instantly what correction isbeing suggested (and, precisely showing the other users (in theirdisplay presentations) what the suggested correction looks like andwhere it is to appear within the document).

In a preferred embodiment, each user is provided with (voice or videowith voice conferencing) concurrently with being provided a relatedcollaborative document display presentation. Multiple people/users canall concurrently type or hand-write via stylus or otherwise annotate, orprovide markings of their own ideas, atop the display presentation ofthe core document. This allows each and all of them to instantly sharetheir ideas with other users. This also provides a display presentationwherein some or all users (on the team) can instantly see all the otherusers' ideas and specific suggestions.

The collaboration technology of the present invention creates a newenvironment, a new paradigm that did not previously exist. It createsthe ability to collaborate, enhanced in ways that enables concurrentlymarkings of each and all the users, and provides a display of themarkings that concurrently appear within the display presentationprovided to all the users. The display presentation is shared forviewing by a selected one, some or all users (in real-time, preferably).

In a preferred embodiment, the collaboration technology of the presentinvention provides for concurrent entry by each user of that users'annotations for a plurality of the users, and provides a concurrentupdated display presentation comprised of a base core document image andan image of the users' annotations (appearing aligned atop the coredocument image within the display presentation (of a combined imagedisplay presentation)).

In a preferred embodiment, each user's markings are uniquelyidentifiable (e.g., by an assigned respective color to identify therespective users' markings) within a combined display presentationprovided to all the users within the group/team. The ideas of the usersare concurrently expressed, displayed (in a way that identifies themwith the user), and shared (ideally in real-time), wherein theannotations as integrated into an updated combined display provided tomultiple selected users for all to see concurrently with the ongoingvoice and/or video-conference discussion in the shared document (image).

Thus, each user is provided with precision of communication at levels ofclarity and achievement that were not really attainable heretofore.

Best of all, the collaboration technology of the present inventionprovides a key team tool to allow opposing teams of people (users) toactually resolve all issues to closure for a shared document, such asrepresentative of text, graphic, image, multi-media, etc.).

The collaboration technology of the present invention provides a way tosynchronize and track user markings/edits, in a time-stamped trackingmode, and can maintain a continuous history of at least to all oneuser's activity in the collaboration technology of the presentinvention.

All the people working together on documents (and also concurrentlytalking either in person in a same room, or remotely talking via phoneor video conference) can collaborate in real-time via hand-writtenannotations, typed edits, inserted images and/or talking [while each andall are viewing (concurrently) the same physical documents displayimages]. People can collaborate together whether within a same room withall local users, or remotely linked to collaboratively couple users atmultiple different locations to collaborate together (with one or moreat each sites (e.g., local, or remote relative to each other user. Thiscan be used within a company or law firm, or any group or organization.This can also be used between different groups or organizations. Teamscan be formed to communicate within the team with one another. Sut-teamswith members from within the team can be formed, to communicate amongmembers of the sub-team, independently of other communications betweenthe team's members. And, there can be multiple sub-teams within a team.

Another use of this technology is to facilitate group collaboration,annotation and use of large amounts of documents. Any user in the groupcan use bookmarks to locate (mark a location for later reference) thingsfor later discussion (label/name them for use in a table of bookmarks).Thereafter, all the users benefit from this locating and labeling asbookmarks, which simplifies document review so that any user can useonly the labeled (e.g. 50) bookmarks to find things instantly andbenefit from that organization. Thus, only the relevant 50 bookmarks areneeded and used, instead of having to physically go through 10,000 or100,000 pages. This has valuable beneficial uses in law, research of anykind, engineering, marketing, sales, medicine, music, etc. Plus, itallows any one user of the group to be a leader of the group and tocontrol which page is to be displayed at one, or all, of the users'displays, such as controlling a jump to page X for everyone to be at thesame place in the same document (e.g., Go To Bookmark, or Go To Page #).

With the collaboration technology of the present invention, any user canquickly (nearly instantly) find and share with other users on the sameteam. They can share everything they want. In a preferred embodiment,each user is collaboratively linked together. The users can be in thesame room, and/or users can be at remote locations. In a preferredembodiment, each user is also coupled for communicating (e.g., voice,video with the users in the group). For example, each user can becoupled on to a conference call (e.g., video or voice only) with otherusers on the same team (or on the same sub-team within a team).Alternatively, if all users are local, they can sit in a room togetherand talk and concurrently provide annotation input via a respective userinput responsive to each single user's control. Each user has their ownsaid respective computing appliance (e.g., laptop PC, tablet PC, desktopPC, tough-screen PC systems, etc.) Each user can create and usebookmarks by marking a location in the present display presentation (oruse section marks or page jumps) to instantly jump to any place within alibrary of stored documents, providing for a local display presentationto that user (or to all users including that user). Then, any user canmark annotations via their user input and using their local touchscreendisplay relative to a base display image. A user can start with ahighlighter transparency setting and select as the pen type=marker, andmark up what it is wanted by the presenter to be seen by others in agroup of users (e.g., while drawing a circle, saying, “see this areahere” (within the commonly displayed image of a specific page of aspecific document). Prior solutions required saying “third line on thepage, the 12th sentence”. However, now with the collaboration technologyof the present invention, a user can simply mark its location (such ascircle it) (and everyone instantly sees the marking) and say “see this”,and everybody is in the same place. When one user on a team marks thedisplay presentation (e.g., highlights it), everyone on the same teamget highlights on all users' display presentation screens.

Alternatively or additionally, each user can have one or multipleseparate open display presentation windows, with one or more applicationsoftware display presentation windows using the collaboration technologyof the present invention, and with one or more other applicationsoftware display presentation windows, (such as running a Word processor(e.g., Word, NotePad, TextEdit, Quark Express), image processor (e.g.,Adobe PhotoShop, PreView, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw,PowerPoint, and image viewer (e.g., PreView, Acrobat, QuickTime, etc.).

A user can also select an area to copy from a document in one window(either) and paste it into another document within another window, suchas pasting it into a collaborative work in the window that is beingworked on.

A user can also cite to the bookmarks within the collaborative document(or otherwise) or to a page number associated with the bookmark.

In accordance with one embodiment, any one (to all) of the users canoperate with multiple windows open on that user's computer display,comprised of a display presentation in one window using thecollaboration technology of the present invention, and a document, orgraphic, or image (e.g., Word, PhotoShop, etc.) display presentation inanother window.

The system described is composed of plurality of appliances on a networkforming a team that is working together on a common project. Userscollaborate with the team by interacting with Layer Data which is storedin Data Layers that are shared with other team members. Each useraccesses a display of information that can be composed of image, video,text, audio and other forms that the appliance can provide and the userview. Each user views a customized display of the information based onselectively accessing the Data Layers. These Data Layers are combinedresponsive to the Layer Data. The display is thus customized for eachuser based on the ordering of the Data Layer and the selection of DataLayers. The storage of Layer Data in Data Layers and their selectivecombination based on the user provides for a flexible and powerfulmechanism to facilitate collaboration in the team and meet the changingrequirements for each user's need to view different Layer Data and thecollaboration occurs.

The Layer Data in the Data Layers is composed of Layer Data Elementswhich include two items: context and content information. The latter, isthe content that is displayed for the user. The content information canbe in the form of vector line drawings, graphics, images, tables ofdata, text, audio, video, gaming data, and other data. The contextinformation is used to provide the display logic the information toproperly display the content. Context information provides contextparameters for the display of content information in either relative orabsolute terms to other Layer Data Elements, in the same or another DataLayer, or to an entire Data Layer. The context parameters can be spatiallocations or references to other Layer Data Elements that imply orderingof Data Layer elements. For instance, several Data Layers containingtext, e.g., “This i”, “s a te”, “st.”, could be referenced in aparticular order using context information. The display would thendisplay them to the user as “This is a test”. Also, a Data Layer elementcould contain an X,Y coordinate that refers to a location on the screenof the display or it could refer to an offset from another Layer DataElement. The context information could also contain other informationsuch as a name which could be used by the display generation to includeor eliminate Layer Data Elements based on the context information. Ifcontext parameters provide invalid information, such as an X,Ycoordinate that would be off screen or a reference to another Data Layerelement that is not visible or no longer existing then the displaygeneration can choose to include the said Data Layer element withdefault information or not include it in the display.

The embodiment of Data Layer structure is illustrated in FIG. 71. Thiscan be implemented using tools in several ways. A relational databasecan be used. Relational databases can be accessed in various ways but acommon method is using Structured Query Language, SQL, statements(http://www.itl.nist.gov/div897/ctg/dm/sgl_info.html). The Layer Datacan be stored in a Layer Data Table wherein each row is a Layer DataElement. A number of columns in the table make up the contextinformation and other columns provide the content information.Alternatively, a Context Elements Table could contain columns for onlythe context information and an index column. Each row of said tablewould represent a Context Element. A Content Elements Table couldcontain columns for only the content information and an index column.Each row of said table would represent a Content Element. The relationaljoin operation could dynamically create a table containing both contextand content information. A SQL SELECT statement with a WHERE clause canbe used to implement the Layer Data Element Selection function. TheWHERE clause would be formed from the Part specification and contextcolumns. For example, “WHERE ContextPage=5”. ContextPage is a column inthe Data Layer table. The Page indicates that “page 5” should beretrieved from the Layer Data. The content information can be stored inthe relational database as a column as a binary large object, BLOB (seeSQL specifications for a BLOB), either in the Data Layer Table directlyor in a separate table. The content information can also be stored as alink, or filename, to the content in one of the columns of the DataLayer Table. Those skill in the art of relational databases have manyoptions for the specific structure of the tables that are used for theoptimization of performance and the type of content information. Thisembodiment is preferred if a relational database is available and thesystem is fast enough to use it.

An alternate embodiment would implement as illustrated in FIGS. 45 and56. This embodiment uses a hybrid structure for the Data Layers. TheBase Data Layer is stored in a database illustrated in FIG. 45 whichcould be a relational or similar table based database. The Image Table,4560, contains the content information as a filename (imgname) to thecontent information as an image in the File System, 4540. The contextinformation is stored in the Doc Table, 4510, DocPage Table, 4520, ValueTable, 4530, and Image Table, 4560. The PageImage Table, 4550, is usedas part of the linkage of all of these tables to provide the DataLayers. The other Data Layers are pointed to by doodle_file in the ValueTable, 4530. The doodle_file is illustrated in FIG. 56. Some of thecontext information is obtained from the database tables Doc Table,4510, DocPage Table, 4520, Value Table, 4530. The remaining contextinformation is stored in the doodle_file. The Wrapper Group, 5610,provides the pointers to the Data Layers available. The Layer Groups,5630, 5631, 5632 provide for the individual Layer Data storagelocations. The Layer Groups also contain context information for theLayer Data. The Layer Data storage illustrated in FIG. 56 is optimizedfor speed while the Base Data Layer image is optimized for storage oflarge images. This embodiment shows multiple tools implementing theLayer Storage and Data Layers. A system does not have to implement theLayer Storage identically for all Data Layers and can optimization theData Layer for the system requirements and type of Layer Data. This is apreferred embodiment that illustrates flexibility in the design andoptimization of speed when needed.

The context information can include the time that a document wascreated, the time that a n annotation was created, modified or accessed,the visibility of an annotation, the size of an annotation, imageproperties, user name, page number, section, chapter, bookmark, LayerData Element that it is linked to (may be in another data layer),company name, physical location of appliance, location relative toanother Layer Data Element, color, font, font size, font style, linewidth, . . . .

An appliance may be associated with more than one Data Layer. Thisallows many possibilities for the operation of a team. A team could becomposed of multiple subteams. Each subteam would have members to thatteam. Each team would only view the Data Layers used by their subteamand a few other Data Layers used to collaborate between teams. Acoordinator appliance would control those Data Layers. This would allowseveral teams to operate independently but can publish their results onData Layers that are visible to other teams. This provides both securityand minimizes distractions as multiple teams as subteams work togetheras one large team. Teams can include more subteams as needed and can beincluded in larger teams with changing their structure.

Each appliance is assigned a “Role” that it performs in the team andeach team is defined by its “Team Type”, e.g., how the team shouldfunction together. The Team Type and Role provide the rules for theappliance to manage the appliance's use Data Layers and the rules forcombining the Data Layers for the display. This includes managing whichData Layer a user can edit and modify, which Data Layers an appliancecombines for the display, options for the Data Layer combination, whatpart of the Data Layer the appliance uses for the display.

Lawyers routinely work with documents that shared with others and manytimes need to discuss and modify the document before an agreement can beconcluded. Many times everyone is not physically available in the samelocation. They are also not necessarily available at the same time. Theuse of the collaboration technology of the present invention allows bothof these restraints to be eliminated while allowing simultaneouscollaboration regardless of location and time. The modifications to thedocument would have the opportunity to record a time line of whatmodifications were made by whom and when. This time line could also beerased when the parties make an agreement and this time line is nolonger necessary.

Contracts, litigation and licensing have at least two parties, typicallycomposed of lawyers, plaintiff, defendants and clients. Each party needsits own subgroup to discuss, modify and propose changes to the contract,suit or patent. The proposed changes by a party is then communicated tothe other parties in the contract in their own private discussions. Thelawyer tends to be the person that proposes the changes to the othersubgroups and communicates the reasons and significance to the clientsin their subgroup. Therefore the lawyer will input data in two layers,one private layer for communicating with the others in their subgroup,and a second subgroup layer for communicating with the other subgroups.Everyone would be able to view the subgroup layer of all subgroups.Everyone would be able to view the private layer for their own subgrouponly.

Patents require the development of documents that require the input ofthe patent attorney and the inventors. Notes by the inventor and reviewof the patents with the patent attorney can be conducted in real time,despite location differences.

Litigation also provides a unique opportunity for providing a real-timediscussion of court documents in a trial. The judge would have access toall layers which provide input from all the lawyers in the courtroom.Each lawyer and the judge would have their own layer that they couldprovide input. The layers that the jury could see is controlled by thejudge so that only the appropriate layers for the jury are shown to themafter approved by the judge for their viewing.

Discovery using the collaboration technology of the present inventionwould allow all parties to review documents, mark their objections andhave them reviewed by the judge. This would not require that all theparties be physically in the same room so it can speed up thepreparation for trial.

Doctors are increasingly dealing with documents in their practice. Thesedocuments are shared between physicians, specialists, pharmacies,insurance representatives, billing departments and of course thepatient. Documents include medical records, bills, insurance forms,admitting forms, medical releases, prescriptions and medical results.Many times the people are in very different locations. A collaborationtechnology of the present invention medical system could ease the timerequired to collaborate on these documents. Also data rights managementcan be applied to documents so only those authorized to view a documentare allowed to view it or modify it. Patients, nurses, administrators,insurance agents and doctors can fill in forms with all the informationabout who provided what input at what time. Physicians can collaboratein real time on x-rays, cat-scans and other medical tests.

Engineers and architects create many documents that need to be reviewedby their clients, project managers, manufacturing, construction,procurement and each other. A collaboration technology of the presentinvention provides that ability to have each person, regardless oflocation, provide real-time input, review, analysis and reference to thelatest documents. In addition, each change is recorded so each party'sinput can be compared, reviewed and approved.

Shareholder meetings, churches, synagogues and public meetings arereal-time events where there can be user interaction with the audience.Questions are routinely ask and documents are routinely shared with theaudience. Both can be communicated via an appliance which has largescreen or a projector that is viewable by the audience.

Live production requires a team that is in close coordination. As thesaying goes, “The show must go on”, which is the result of something notgoing according to the rehearsed plan. The ability of a collaborationtechnology of the present invention to rapidly communicate the issue andthen rapidly communicate the changes provides all the production team tocontinue while maintaining the best performance.

Other examples of the Team Type are “Music”, “Education”, “Meeting”, “AdHoc” and “Social”. Teams will be prefixed by their Team Type later inthis description such as “Music Team”, “Education Team”, “Meeting Team”,“Ad Hoc Team” and “Social Team”.

A Music Team can have the Roles of “Leader”, “Member” and “Listener”. AnAd Hoc Team uses the same Roles as the Music Team: “Leader”, “Member”and “Listener”. The Member and Listener Roles are identical in operationwhen operating within a Music Team. The Leader and Member Roles areidentical in operation when operating within an Ad Hoc Team. Otherwisethe Roles differ in operation in an Ad Hoc Team or Music Team. TheEducation Team can have the Roles of “Teacher” and “Student”. TheMeeting Team can have the Roles of “Presenter”, “Facilitator” and“Participant”.

The number of Roles for a Team Type is not limited and may be one, twoor more. Later in this document we will refer to an appliance by itsRole, e.g., Leader Appliance, Member Appliance, Listener Appliance,Teacher Appliance, Student Appliance, Presenter Appliance, FacilitatorAppliance or Attendee Appliance.

The appliances working on a team must be operating in a role that isincluded in a Team Type and may include a “Coordinator Appliance”. ACoordinator Appliance is an appliance operating in a Role with“Coordinator” functionality that allows it to define such things aswhich appliances are included in the team, their Roles and accessrights. A “Non-Coordinator Appliance” is simply an appliance that is nota Coordinator Appliance. The Leader Appliances, Teacher Appliances andFacilitator Appliances are examples of Coordinator Appliances for theirrespective Team Types. There can be many appliances operating on thenetwork so some Team Types require that at least one appliance on theteam be a Coordinator Appliance.

Each Teacher Appliance defines which Student and Teacher Appliances areon their Education Team, thereby creating various “Classrooms” ofEducation Teams. Student Appliances only communicate with the TeacherAppliances in their Classroom by sending their annotations in theparticular student's drawing layer. Teacher Appliances communicate withall the appliances in the Classroom or a particular Student Appliance.The Teacher Appliance either sends annotations in the student's drawinglayer to a particular Student Appliance and any other Teacher Appliancesin the Classroom or a common teacher layer annotation to all the StudentAppliances and any other Teacher Appliances in the Classroom.

Likewise, Leader Appliances define the Leader Appliances, MemberAppliances and Listener Appliances on their Music Teams. The Leadersends their annotations to all the other appliances in the team in theirown layer. This layer is only modifiable by the that particular LeaderAppliance. The Leader Appliances can also send other messages such aspage turns to the Music Team. The Member Appliances and ListenerAppliances on the display the all the Leader Appliance drawing layers intheir team. Member Appliances and Listener Appliances operate the sameon a Music Team, their operation differs on the Ad Hoc Team describedlater.

Facilitator Appliances define the Presenter Appliances, FacilitatorAppliances and Attendee Appliances on the Meeting Teams. The Presenterappliance has control of the other appliances in terms of what page theyare viewing. The Facilitator Appliance controls which appliance is thePresenter Appliances and Attendee Appliances, what data layers areviewed by each appliance and which data layers are editable by eachappliance. The Attendee Appliances may be able to turn pages on theirown determined by the Facilitator Appliance. The Attendee Applianceswill be controlled as to what layers they can view and edit based oncontrol from the Presenter and Facilitator Appliances. The Ad Hoc Teamhas no Coordinator Appliances and is composed of Leader Appliances,Member Appliances and Listener Appliances. The Ad Hoc Team uses all theappliances available on the network of these Roles. Leader Appliancesand Member Appliances can send annotations to an other appliance in theAd Hoc Team, but the Listener Appliances only receive annotations.

By utilizing the teachings of the present invention, a method isprovided for displaying collaborative work as input by a plurality ofusers.

In a first embodiment, the method is comprised of providing annotationdata for each of the plurality of users which is representative of therespective annotations by the respective user; storing the annotationdata for each respective said user in a memory as associated with saideach respective said user; enabling at least one user of the pluralityof users to select which of the annotations are selected annotationsthat are used in generating the display presentation; and providing acombined display presentation to at least one user, the combined displaypresentation comprised of the selected annotations combined with a basecore image.

The annotation data can be provided by any of multiple means, such asvia a user input apparatus such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen input,stylus and digitizer input, voice recognition, camera recognition,import of images, scans, vector drawings, 2D and 3D models, audio, videoor text data. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

The association of each user with his/her respective annotation data isprovided by mapping logic whose configuration is responsive to themapping control that is responsive to one or more control processors.The mapping logic is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.11, 12, 13, 14, 29, 32 and 37 herein. The mapping control is discussedin further detail with relation to FIGS. 15, 18, 22, 24, 27 and 28herein.The memory is structured to support this association by layerstorage. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 16,17, 19 and 20 herein. The memory can be centralized or distributed asdiscussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, 9 and 10.The enabling of selection by at least one user of theplurality of users to select which of the annotations are selectedannotations that are used in generating the display presentation isprovided by one or more control processors to which the aforementionedmapping control is responsive. Coordinator control logic is a controlprocessor that is responsible for coordinating all the user displays.The Non-coordinator control logic is responsive to the coordinatorcontrol logic. This is discussed in further detail with relation toFIGS. 8, 9, 10, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

The generation of the display presentation is provided by the userdisplay which is responsive to the display logic. The display logic isresponsive to the aforementioned layer storage and mapping logic. Thedisplay logic is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 24,27, 28, and 39 herein. The user display is discussed in further detailwith relation to FIGS. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of enabling at least one user of the plurality of users toselect which of the plurality of users is enabled to input therespective annotations therefor.

The global control processor obtains input from the at least one user ofthe plurality of users and communicates with the all the mappingcontrols to control mapping logic and display logic for selecting theannotation that is the destination for user input from the respectiveinput device. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.8, 9 and 10 herein. There may be a plurality of control processors whichobtain input from each respective user. At least one control processorof the plurality of control processors and communicates with the all thecontrol processors in the system to coordinate the selection of which ofthe plurality of users is enabled to input the respective annotations.The control processors control mapping logic and display logic for thedisplay of annotations for all user displays and the annotation that isthe destination for user input from the respective input device. This isdiscussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of enabling at least one user of the plurality of users toselect which of the users are selected to have their respectiveannotations selected for use in generating the display presentation.

The global control processor obtains input from the at least one user ofthe plurality of users and communicates with the all the mappingcontrols to control mapping logic and display logic for selecting whichof the users are selected to have their respective annotations selectedfor use in generating the display presentation. This is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 herein. There may be aplurality of control processors which obtain input from at least oneuser of the plurality of users. The plurality of control processorsreceiving input from said at least one user communicates with the allthe control processors in the system to coordinate the selection of theusers that are selected to have their respective annotations selectedfor use in generating the display presentation. The control processorscontrol mapping logic and display logic for the display of annotationsfor all user displays and the annotation that is the destination foruser input from the respective input device. This is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of enabling at least one user, of the plurality of users, todo one of selectively enable and selectively disable utilizing ofselected ones of the plurality of users said respective annotations ingenerating the display presentation provided for viewing to at least oneof the plurality of users.

The global control processor obtains input from the at least one user ofthe plurality of users and communicates with the all the mappingcontrols to control mapping logic and display logic to selectivelyenable and selectively disable utilizing of selected ones of theplurality of users said respective annotations. This is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 herein. There may be aplurality of control processors which obtain input from at least oneuser of the plurality of users. The plurality of control processorsreceiving input from said at least one user communicates with the allthe control processors in the system to coordinate selectively enablingand selectively disabling to utilize of selected ones of the pluralityof users said respective annotations. The control processors controlmapping logic and display logic for the display of annotations for alluser displays and the annotation that is the destination for user inputfrom the respective input device. This is discussed in further detailwith relation to FIGS. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of enabling at least one user, of the plurality of users, todo one of selectively enable and selectively disable utilizing ofselected ones of the plurality of users said respective annotations ingenerating the display presentation provided for viewing by another saiduser that is not the at least one user.

The global control processor obtains input from the at least one user ofthe plurality of users and communicates with the all the mappingcontrols to control mapping logic and display logic to selectivelyenable and selectively disable utilizing of selected ones of theplurality of users said respective annotations in generating the displaypresentation provided for viewing by another said user that is not theat least one user. This is discussed in further detail with relation toFIGS. 8, 9 and 10 herein. There may be a plurality of control processorswhich obtain input from at least one user of the plurality of users. Theplurality of control processors receiving input from said at least oneuser communicates with the all the control processors in the system tocoordinate selectively enabling and selectively disabling to utilize ofselected ones of the plurality of users said respective annotations ingenerating the display presentation provided for viewing by another saiduser that is not the at least one user. The control processors controlmapping logic and display logic for the display of annotations for alluser displays and the annotation that is the destination for user inputfrom the respective input device. This is discussed in further detailwith relation to FIGS. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of displaying the user annotations for each respective saiduser within the combined display presentation as separately identifiablewith the respective user as shown in the combined display presentation.

The control processors communicate setup information to the displaylogic that configures the display logic to add separately identifiableinformation for each respective user. The separately identifiableinformation can be in the form of a different color, a visual labeladded, a mouse over popup visual label, blinking visual effects, adifferent text font or character effect, modifying the location of theannotation on the display, 3D layer visualizations and other forms. Thisis discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 39, 42 and 43herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of generating a separate and independent version of thecombined display presentation for each of at least two of the pluralityof users. Each said independent version of the combined displaypresentation is comprised of the respective said annotations ofrespective selected ones of the plurality of users as combined with thebase core image.

The layer storage contains the base core image that is associated withall users. The mapping logic is configured to include the base coreimage or common data layer and data layers for annotations of respectiveselected ones of the plurality of users. This is discussed in furtherdetail with relation to FIGS. 29, 32 and 37 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of associating each respective said subgroup with at least tworespective ones of the plurality of individual data layers which areassociated with said respective subgroup. Each respective user of theplurality of users is associated with a respective said individual datalayer. The method further enables each said respective user toselectively create associated respective said annotations. And themethod stores the respective said annotation data for the respectivesaid annotations in the respective said individual data layer associatedwith the respective user.

The control processors contain the information associating each userwith a subgroup. A data layer is associated with each user. The editlevel for each respective mapping logic user is setup to point to therespective data layer for each user. This is discussed in further detailwith relation to FIGS. 8, 9, 10, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of associating each respective said subgroup with at least tworespective said individual data layers associated with the respectivesaid subgroup; and associating with an editable layer with each of therespective said subgroups, selectively enabling each respective saideditable layer for each of said respective said subgroups, to permit atleast one user of the respective plurality of users, within therespective subgroup, to create the annotations provided for display tothe users of the respective subgroup.

The control processors contain the information associating a subgroupedit data layer with a subgroup. The edit level for at least one user inthe respective mapping logic is setup to point to a subgroup edit datalayer. Said at least one user can provide change information to therespective subgroup edit data layer. All users associated with the saidsubgroup include the subgroup edit data layer in the mapping table fordisplay of the subgroup edit data layer and other data layers as needed.This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIG. 32 herein.

In a preferred embodiment,

at least one user selects a plurality of the annotations for arespective plurality of users, for use in generating the combineddisplay presentation.

At least one of the control processors is responsive to said at leastone user and communicates the selection of a plurality of theannotations for a respective plurality of users. Said at least one ofthe control processors communicates the selection to all other controlprocessors. The control processors setup the mapping control for therespective users for use in generating the combined displaypresentation. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 42 and 43 herein.

In the preferred embodiment, each one of the respective plurality ofusers is separately identifiable in the combined display presentation.

The control processors communicate setup information to the displaylogic that configures the display logic to add separately identifiableinformation for each respective user. This is discussed in furtherdetail with relation to FIGS. 39, 42 and 43 herein.

In an alternate embodiment, the method is further comprised ofidentifying at least one sub-grouping comprised of at least two of therespective plurality of users which form members of a respectiveseparate subgroup of users; selecting the respective annotation data forthe respective separate subgroup of users for the at least one saidsub-grouping of the plurality of users, to be utilized in generating afirst combined display presentation presented for viewing to only thosesaid users in the subgroup of users; generating the first combineddisplay presentation comprising the annotations of all the members ofthe respective separate subgroup provided for viewing by at least one ofthe respective plurality of users in the respective separate subgroup;generating a second combined display presentation for viewing by atleast one other one of the plurality of users that are not members ofthe respective separate in the subgroup, wherein the second combineddisplay presentation is comprised of the annotations of only one of themembers of said respective separate subgroup and excludes theannotations of all the members except the only one member.

Thus, there can be subgroups of users that interact within themselvesindependently of the larger group of multiple ones of the subgroups.Within each subgroup, the users/members can see the annotations of someor all of the other members of the subgroup. However, only thedesignated one (or more if so designated) can see the annotations of theother subgroups, and the other subgroups can only see the annotations ofthe designated one (or more if so designated) user/member of arespective subgroup. This can be done for one subgroup with multiplemembers, and the rest of the plurality of users are not in subgroups, orthere can be multiple subgroups, each as described above, or there canbe multiple subgroups, each as described above plus the rest of theplurality of users are not in subgroups. The present invention worksequally well in each of these scenarios as above. This aspect of theinvention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 32, 33,34, 35 and 36 herein.

With this embodiment of subgroups, the method is further comprised ofgenerating the first combined display presentation comprising theannotations of all the members of the respective separate subgroupprovided for viewing by all of the respective plurality of users in therespective separate subgroup.

The control processors contain the information associating each userwith a subgroup. A data layer is associated with each user. The mappingtable for each respective mapping logic user is setup to point to therespective data layers for respective plurality of users having the samesubgroup as the said user. This is discussed in further detail withrelation to FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 14.

In one embodiment, there are at least two separate subgroups of userscomprised of at least two said sub-groupings, each said respectiveseparate subgroup comprised of members comprising at least two of theplurality of users, and the method is further comprised of linking onesaid member of a first one of the at least two subgroups to a differentone said member of a second one of the at least two subgroups; providingcommunication between the one said member and the different one saidmember, of the annotations of the different one said member and the onesaid member, respectively; generating a first linked and combineddisplay presentation comprising the annotations of a plurality of themembers of the first one of the at least two subgroups combined with theannotations of the different one member; and, displaying the combineddisplay presentation responsive to the generating.

The control processors contain the information associating a subgroupedit data layer with a subgroup. The edit level for first said member ofa first one of the at least two subgroups in the respective mappinglogic is setup to point to a the first subgroup edit data layer. Firstsaid member of a first one of the at least two subgroups can providechange information to the first subgroup edit data layer. The edit levelfor second said member of a second one of the at least two subgroups inthe respective mapping logic is setup to point to a the second subgroupedit data layer. Second said member of a second one of the at least twosubgroups can provide change information to the second subgroup editdata layer. The first said member of a first one of the at least twosubgroups and the second said member of a second one of the at least twosubgroups include in the mapping table for display of the first subgroupedit data layer, second subgroup edit data layer and the respective datalayers for respective plurality of users having the same subgroup as thesaid user. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIG. 32herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of generating a second linked and combined displaypresentation comprising the annotations of a plurality of the members ofthe second one of the at least two subgroups combined with theannotations of the one member; and displaying to the different one saidmember the second linked and combined display presentation, responsiveto the generating. The education team has two groups, a teacher groupand student group. The teacher can display the annotations of all thestudents, together with the teacher annotations on the teacher displaysimultaneously. This is discussed in further detail with relation toFIG. 60 herein.

In an addition to the first embodiment, the method is further comprisedof organizing the memory as a plurality of mapped data layers;associating each individual data layer of the plurality of mapped datalayers with at least one respective one of the plurality of users;storing the annotation data for each respective said user in arespective said individual data layer that is associated with therespective said user; enabling at least one user of the plurality ofusers to select which of the individual data layers are chosen asselected data layers that are used in generating the displaypresentation; and providing the combined display presentation comprisedof the respective annotations for the respective said users associatedwith the respective selected data layers, annotations combined with thebase core image, responsive to the selected data layers. The users ofappliances in a social team can change settings on the appliance to hideone or all of the team member layers. This is discussed in furtherdetail with relation to FIGS. 61 through 70 herein.

In the one embodiment, the method is further comprised of generating asame combined display presentation for viewing by at least two users ofthe plurality of users for the respective subgroup. The education teamhas two groups, a teacher group and student group. The teacher candisplay the annotations of a single the student, together with theteacher annotations on the teacher display. These are the sameannotations shown on the said student so each view exactly the samedisplay. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 59herein.

In the one embodiment, the method is further comprised of generating adifferent separate respective combined display presentation forrespective viewing by at least two respective users of the plurality ofusers for the respective subgroup. The teacher can display theannotations of a just the teacher on the teacher display. The studentsdisplay the annotations of the teacher and the student's own annotation.Every appliance has a different display. This is discussed in furtherdetail with relation to FIGS. 58 herein.

In a further embodiment to the one embodiment, the method is furthercomprised of associating each said individual user with a respectivecomputing appliance; providing the input of the respective annotationsfor the respective individual user responsive to each respective saidindividual user; and providing the respective combined displaypresentation to the respective individual user associated therewith on arespective display apparatus at each respective one of the plurality ofcomputing appliances. The teacher can display the annotations of a justthe teacher on the teacher display. The students display the annotationsof the teacher and the student's own annotation. Every appliance has adifferent display. The input device for each appliance is responsive tothe respective annotation data layer that is being displayed, e.g., theteacher modifies the teacher layer and every student modifies their ownlayer. This is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 58herein.

Multiple alternative systems are illustrated and described herein forimplementing the one embodiment (as well as other embodiments),utilizing a plurality of computing appliances each with a displayapparatus for displaying collaborative work comprised of a displaypresentation to at least one user of a base core image in combinationwith selected annotations as input by a plurality of users. One suchsystem for the one embodiment is comprised of input apparatus providingannotation data for each of the plurality of users which isrepresentative of the respective annotations by the respective userresponsive to user input at said respective input apparatus; memorystoring the annotation data for each respective said user in an area ofthe memory as associated with said each respective said user; logicenabling at least one user of the plurality of users to select which ofthe annotations for which of the plurality of users are selectedannotations, that are used in generating the display presentation; andthe display apparatus providing a combined display presentationcomprised of the selected annotations combined with the base core image.The overall system is described in FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The inputapparatus and annotation data is described in greater detail in FIGS.26, 27 and 28. The memory stores are described in greater detail inFIGS. 45, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 71.

The annotation/user selection logic enables at least one user of theplurality of users to select which of the annotations for which of theplurality of users are selected annotations, that are used in generatingthe display presentation. The annotation/user selection logic can becomprised of pointer lists, database tables, tables, vector lists, andis described in greater detail in relation to FIGS. 11, 12, 13, 14, 29and 60 herein.

The display apparatus provides a combined display presentation comprisedof the selected annotations combined with the base core image. Thedisplay apparatus can be comprised of graphic adapters, software codefor creating the combined image, specialized graphic processors, and isdescribed in greater detail in relation to FIG. 39 herein. The combineddisplay presentation and its structure can be comprised of an image,display languages such as Postscript, PCL, SVG, and others, is describedin greater detail in relation to FIG. 39 herein.

In this system, at least one user selects a plurality of data layers forat least two users of the plurality of users, for use in generating thecombined display presentation.

In a preferred embodiment of this system, each of the respectiveplurality of users is separately identifiable in the combined displaypresentation.

The preferred embodiment of this system is further comprised of logicfor identifying a plurality of sub-groupings of the respective pluralityof users as respective separate subgroups of users; memory storing datafor each one of the plurality of users in a respective one of aplurality of data layers for at least one said subgroup of users, foruse in generating a first combined display presentation, for viewing byonly those said users in the subgroup of users; display logic generatingthe first display presentation comprising the annotations of all themembers of the subgroup for viewing by at least one (or some or all) ofthe respective said users in the subgroup; and wherein the display logicgenerates a second combined display presentation for viewing by otherusers who are not in the subgroup that utilizes the annotations of onlyone said user of the plurality of users in the subgroup.

In an alternate embodiment of the one embodiment, there is one saidseparate subgroup; wherein each member of that one said separatesubgroup is linked to see all members annotations from other members ofthat one said separate subgroup, and wherein one member of that one saidseparate subgroup is also linked to all at least one, to all, of theother users who are not members of that one said separate subgroup.

In another embodiment, there are at least two separate subgroups,wherein within each of the at least two separate subgroups each memberof that said separate subgroup is linked to see all members annotationsfrom other members of that said separate subgroup, and wherein onemember of each of the two said separate subgroup is also linked to showits annotations from that one user/member for viewing to all at leastone, to all, of the other users who are not members of that one saidseparate subgroup.

In yet another embodiment, there are the at least two separatesubgroups, wherein within each of the at least two separate subgroupseach member of that said separate subgroup is linked to see all membersannotations from other members of that said separate subgroup, andwherein one member of each of the two said separate subgroup is alsolinked to show its annotations from that one user/member for viewing toa respective said one member of the other one of the at least twoseparate subgroups. Optionally, each of the one member of each of thetwo said separate subgroup is also linked to show its annotations fromthat one user/member for viewing by at least one (to all) of the otherusers who are not members of either one of the two said separatesubgroup.

Thus, there can be multiple separate subgroups of users, wherein each ofthe members of each such separate subgroup interact within themselvesindependently of the larger group of multiple ones of the subgroups.Within each subgroup, the users/members can see the annotations of someor all of the other members of the subgroup. However, only thedesignated one (or more if so designated) can see the annotations of theother subgroups, and the other subgroups can only see the annotations ofthe designated one (or more if so designated) user/member of arespective subgroup. This can be done for one subgroup with multiplemembers, and the rest of the plurality of users are not in subgroups, orthere can be multiple subgroups, each as described above, or there canbe multiple subgroups, each as described above plus the rest of theplurality of users are not in subgroups. The present invention worksequally well in each of these scenarios as above. This aspect of theinvention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 58, 59and 60 herein.

In yet another embodiment, the another member of the other one (thesecond of the at least two subgroups) of the at least two subgroups hasa display presentation generated of a second linked and combined displaypresentation comprising the annotations of a plurality of the members ofone to all of the other one(s) of the at least two subgroups, combinedwith a display of the annotations of the one member of the first of theat least two subgroups. This aspect of the invention is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIG. 60 herein. herein.

In a further extension of the system in the one embodiment, the memoryis comprised of a plurality of mapped data layers. Each of plurality ofmapped data layers is associated with at least one respective one of theplurality of users. The storage provides storing of the annotation datafor each respective said user in a respective mapped data layerassociated with the respective said user. In this further extension, thesystem further comprises control logic enabling at least one user of theplurality of users to select which of the mapped data layers areselected data layers that are used in generating the displaypresentation. The display apparatus provides a combined displaypresentation comprised of the selected users' annotations combined withthe base core image, responsive to the selected data layers. This aspectof the invention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.15, 18, 22 and 24 herein.

In a preferred embodiment of the systems illustrating the embodiments ofthe present inventions, there is provided the ability for a user (ormore than one user) to select which user or users are permitted to makeannotations. This embodiment provides input logic enabling at least oneuser to select which of plurality of users is enabled to input theannotations for use in generating the display presentation. This aspectof the invention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.26, 27 and 28 herein.

In an alternate embodiment or additional aspect of this preferredembodiment, there is provided the ability for a user (or more than oneuser) to select which user or users annotations (for which of the users)is to be utilized in the generation of the display presentation, eitherfor that one user, or for one or more other users. This embodimentprovides input logic enabling at least one user to select which of theusers are selected to have their respective annotations selected for usein generating the display presentation. This aspect of the invention isdiscussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 11, 12, 13, 14, 29and 60 herein.

In accordance with one aspect of this preferred embodiment, the systemis further comprised of control logic enabling at least one user toselectively enable and disable selected ones of the plurality of usersto have their respective annotations selected for use in generating thedisplay presentation viewed by at least one of the plurality of users.

Thus, at least one of the users (or more) can select to turn on and off,at will, to select which of the users annotations will be utilized ingenerating of the display presentation for that one user or for otherone or ones of the users. This aspect of the invention is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIG. 29 herein.

In another alternate embodiment of this preferred embodiment, the userannotations for each respective said user is provided within thecombined display presentation as separately identifiable with therespective user as shown in the combined display presentation. Thus, forexample one user can be red, another user blue, etc. Or, users who aremembers of a first subgroup can have a first set of colors (eitherdifferent families of colors, or different hues within a same color) andeach other subgroup has its own unique and identifiable set of colors.Thus, when viewing the display presentation, it is readily and easilyidentifiable as to which user of which subgroup made which annotationsin the combined display presentation. This aspect of the invention isdiscussed in further detail previously herein in regard to contextinformation.

In one alternate embodiment, a separate and independent version of thecombined display presentation is provide to at least two of theplurality of users within the respective subgroup; and each saidindependent version of the combined display presentation is comprised ofthe respective said annotations of selected ones of the plurality ofusers as combined with a base core image. Thus, one user can see onesubset of users annotations as overlaid atop of and aligned to the basecore image in a first independent version of a combined displaypresentation, while another user user can see yet another subset of (thesame or overlapping or completely different ones of) users annotationsas overlaid atop of and aligned to the base core image in in a secondindependent version of a combined display presentation combined displaypresentation. And this can be done without limitations. It can be donefor users within a same subgroup, or for users within differentsubgroups, or for independent users not within any subgroups at all. Theusers of appliances in a social team can change settings on theappliance to hide one or all of the team member layers. This isdiscussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 61 through 70 herein.

In an alternate embodiment of the subgrouping aspect of the presentinventions, each of the subgroups is comprised of at least two pluralityof mapped data layers associated with said subgroup; and each user isassociated with at least one of the mapped data layers that is aneditable data layer that can be selectively enabled (or disabled) topermit (or not allow) the respective user to create the annotations forthe respective user. The education team has two groups, a teacher groupand student group. The teacher can display the annotations of just theteacher annotations on the teacher display or choose to display theteacher annotation a particular student data layers. The teacher's inputchanges from the teacher layer to the said student data layer in thelatter display. This is discussed in further detail with relation toFIGS. 58 and 59 herein.

In the alternate embodiment of the subgrouping aspect of the presentinventions, the system can additionally be implemented such that each ofthe subgroups is associated with at least two plurality of mapped datalayers associated with said subgroup; and such that each of thesubgroups is associated with an editable layer that is selectivelyenabled to permit at least one of the respective plurality of users tocreate the annotations for the respective subgroup. This aspect of theinvention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66 and 67 herein.

In an option to the alternate embodiment of the subgrouping aspect ofthe present inventions, a same combined display presentation isgenerated at, at least two of the plurality of users for the respectivesubgroup. Thus, those at least two of the plurality of users for therespective subgroup view the combined display presentation of selectedannotations and the base core image concurrently while they work in realtime together on editing/annotating relative to the same base coreimage, provide for a collaborative work result. This aspect of theinvention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIG. 59herein.

In an alternate option to the alternate embodiment of the subgroupingaspect of the present inventions, a different separate combined displaypresentation is generated at, at least two of the plurality of users forthe respective subgroup. Thus, each of those at least two of theplurality of users for the respective subgroup view a different combineddisplay presentation of different ones of selected annotations forrespective users, combined with the display of the base core image,concurrently while they work in real time on editing/annotating relativeto the same base core image, provide for a collaborative work result.Thus, each of the subgroups can view selected members/users of theirrespective group independently of the other subgroups' users, ordifferent users (whether or not within a same subgroup, can viewselected users annotations independently of what another user is viewingof a separate set of selected users (some the same, or all different).This aspect of the invention is discussed in further detail withrelation to FIGS. 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 and 67 herein.

In a preferred embodiment, the system is comprised of at least twocomputing appliances, each of the computing appliances for use by arespective user. Each of the computing appliances is comprised of aprocessor, memory, communications interface, input apparatus, anddisplay apparatus. Each said display apparatus provides a respectivedisplay presentation of a display image comprised of a common sharedunderlying image. The respective input apparatus is responsive to inputby the respective user to provide annotation data representative of adisplay image of annotations associated with the respective user andmade relative to the display presentation of the common sharedunderlying image. Each of the at least two of the computing appliancesprovides a combined display presentation comprised of a combination ofthe display image of the annotations associated with the respective userfor at least one of the respective users, shown within the combineddisplay presentation comprised of the display image of the annotationsfor the at least one of the respective users, which are aligned to andoverlaid atop of the common shared underlying image in the combineddisplay presentation. This aspect of the invention is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, herein.

In a further embodiment, a same said combined display presentation isprovided for viewing simultaneously at each of the at least twocomputing appliances. The display presentation of the at least twocomputing appliances are providing a view of the same annotations editedby the same group of users.

In an alternate embodiment, the annotations are input by said respectiveuser while the display presentation is provided to the respective userof the image of the common shared underlying image. In addition, theannotations are representative of markings made by the respective userrelative to the common shared underlying image while the displaypresentation provided to the respective user is of the image of thecommon shared underlying image. This aspect of the invention isdiscussed in further detail with relation to FIGS. 29, 32, 37, 44, 45and 56, herein.

In yet another embodiment, the common shared underlying image representsa completely solid color. This provides for the initial underlying imageto be empty like a new document that the users can begin editingrelative to and thereupon (overlaid)).

In still another embodiment, the annotations are shown in the combineddisplay presentation as aligned to and overlaid atop of the displaypresentation of the shared common underlying image. The annotations aspreviously described herein are correlated and related to the sharedcommon underlying image by at least their position on the displaypresentation.

In yet another embodiment, the common shared underlying image iscomprised of a base core image representative of a base core document.The base core image can be what is commonly know as a “screen shot” of abase core document that could be represented by many different types offormats other than an image. Such examples include a core image from afile comprising a document from Word, Excel, Finale, AutoCad,PowerPoint, eMail and other programs.

In one embodiment, an evolving base core image embodiment provides forthe display presentation provided at at least one said respectivecomputing appliance to be of a display image which starts as a displaypresentation of only the base core image, and evolves at each finitepoint of a plurality of finite subsequent points in time to provide adisplay presentation at each said subsequent point in time, at said atleast one respective said computing appliance of a display image of athen current evolved base core image comprising the base core imagecombined with respective display images for all the annotationsassociated with the at least one said respective user at said respectivecomputing appliances, as made up to a then current respective saidfinite point in time. Also, in a preferred embodiment, the displaypresentation provided at the respective said computing appliance iscomprised of a display image of selected ones of the annotations asinput by said respective user as made, subsequent to the then currentsaid evolved shared underlying image which are shown within a new imageof the combined display presentation comprised of a display image of theselected ones of the annotations which are displayed as aligned to andoverlaid atop of the evolved base core image in the new image of thecombined display presentation. This process allows annotations and thefrom selected users to be combined with the current evolved base coreimage to create a new evolved base core image. This is useful when adocument has reached a milestone such as a release date, an approval, ora submission. The document with the current modifications is now thecurrent document so the evolved base core image should change to reflectthe milestone because all further modifications should be based on themilestone of the document rather than the previous milestone. Thisprovides for the evolved base core image to be comprised of the basecore image combined with the images for all the annotations of at leasttwo users as made up to the respective said finite point in time.

In a further preferred embodiment, the display presentation of the imageof the annotations for all the users are shown in the combined displaypresentation, atop of and aligned relative to the display presentationof the common shared underlying image. The annotations as previouslydescribed herein of all “selected” users are correlated and related tothe shared common underlying image by at least their position on thedisplay presentation. In this embodiment, all “selected” users have thesame display presentation.

In a further embodiment to the evolving base core image embodiment, thecombined display presentation changes over time so as to be comprised ofdisplay images of selected ones of user annotations that are notincluded in a then current evolved shared underlying image, whichthereafter becomes a next evolved base core image forming a next commonshared underlying image which is shown within an updated combineddisplay presentation as a display image of the selected ones of userannotations that are aligned to and overlaid atop of the evolved basecore image in the updated combined display presentation. Only selectedannotations from the users are used to create the new evolved base coreimage.

In yet another embodiment to the evolving base core image embodiment,each update of the evolved base core image displays an image of changesmade over time, to display ongoing annotations provided by selected onesof the users to provide the evolved core basis image. In a preferredembodiment, the base core image includes visual representations in thedisplay presentation that allow the user to determine when and/or wherechanges were made to the base core image. These representations can bechanges in the evolved base core image such as color, size, linethickness, font weight or font style or it could also be additions tothe evolved base core image of text, icons, lines or drawings.

In a preferred embodiment, the common shared underlying image isrepresentative of at least one of a word processing document, a textdocument, a drawing document, a spreadsheet document, a photo document,an image document, a JPEG file, an MPEG file, a musical score, anaudiovisual movie, diagnostic film, a contract document, a proposaldocument, an x-ray film file, an MRI image file, and a CAT-scan file.This aspect of the invention is discussed in further detail withrelation to FIG. 26, herein.

In the preferred embodiment, a plurality of the users' annotations isutilized in the generation of the combined display presentation. Thisaspect of the invention is discussed in further detail with relation toFIGS. 11, 14, 18, 22, 27, 28, 29, 32, 37, 39 and 56, herein.

An alternative embodiment provides a method for collaboration among atleast two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances havingan input apparatus, and a display apparatus for use by a respective userof a plurality of users. A display presentation is provided on each ofthe display apparatus comprising a display image of a common sharedunderlying image Annotation data is generated, responsive to arespective input by the respective user of a respective said inputapparatus. The annotation data is representative of a display image ofannotations made by the respective user relative to the displaypresentation of the common shared underlying image. The annotations madeby each respective user relative are mapped to the display of the commonshared underlying image in the combined display presentation. Thecombined display presentation provides for viewing at the respectivedisplay apparatus for each respective said user at at least two of theat least two computing appliances while the respective said user isproviding an input of the annotation data. And the combined displaypresentation is comprised of a display image of the annotations as madeby the respective user at at least one of the computing appliances,aligned to and overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image. Thisaspect of the invention is discussed in further detail with relation toFIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, herein.

In an alternative preferred embodiment a same said combined displaypresentation is provided for simultaneously viewing at the at least twocomputing appliances.

A display presentation is generated from a base core image for a basecore document as the common shared underlying image, which is visuallyreferenced by the respective users of the at least two computingappliances while the respective said users are making input of therespective annotations. This aspect of the invention is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 29, 32, 37, 44, 45 and 56, herein.

In another preferred embodiment, a display presentation of respectiveannotations is provided for each respective user responsive to therespective input by the respective user at said respective inputapparatus. The display presentation of the respective annotations isuniquely identifiable within the combined display presentation asassociated with the respective user that provided the respective input.The respective annotations are shown in the combined displaypresentation as aligned to and overlaid atop of the display presentationof the shared common underlying image, responsive to the selected datalayers and the ordering hierarchy for the data layers.

In a further alternate embodiment, an initial display presentation at aninitial time is provided to the respective user at each of the at leasttwo computing appliances, of a display image of the common sharedunderlying image representative of a base core image. Thereafter, atsubsequent points in time, an evolved display presentation to therespective user of a display image of an evolved base core image. Theevolved base core image at each subsequent point in time is alsocomprised of the base core image combined with respective images for therespective annotations as made from the initial time up to each saidrespective said subsequent point in time by at least one said respectiveuser of at least one of the at least two computing appliances aspreviously described herein. Alternatively, or additionally, the evolveddisplay presentation provides a current shared display of an underlyingimage that is provided simultaneously at the at least two computingappliances. Each subsequent said evolved display presentation iscomprised of selected additional ones of the respective user annotationsthat are not already in the evolved display presentation which iscurrently being shown in the current combined display presentation,combined with a display image of the selected additional ones of therespective user annotations, which selected additional ones of therespective user annotations are aligned to and overlaid atop of thecurrently being shown evolved base core image, to generate the combineddisplay presentation as previously described herein. As described indetail elsewhere herein, the evolved base core image is comprised of thebase core image combined with the images for all the annotations of atleast two of the plurality of users as made up to a respective finitepoint in time.

In another embodiment, the generation of the display presentation of thecommon shared underlying image initially provides a display presentationof only a base core image. Also, the generation of the displaypresentation of the common shared underlying image thereafter evolves atfinite points in time to provide a display presentation of an evolvedbase core image comprising the base core image as initially provided,combined with the images for all the annotations for at least two usersof the plurality of users, as made up to a respective finite point intime. In addition, the display presentation for the evolved core baseimage is thereafter, until changed again at a next respective finitepoint in time, comprised of a combination of the annotations for atleast two of the users aligned in the combined display presentation forviewing atop of and aligned relative to the display presentation of thecommon shared underlying image.

In yet another embodiment, the display presentation of the common sharedunderlying image starts as a display presentation to the respective userof a display image of only a base core image, and evolves at finitepoints in time, to provide a display presentation to the respective userof a display image of an evolved base core image comprising the basecore image combined with the images for all the annotations of at leastone user as made up to the respective finite point in time.

As discussed in detail elsewhere herein, in an alternate embodiment, thedisplay presentation of the annotations for all the users are aligned inthe combined display presentation for viewing atop of, and alignedrelative to, the display presentation of the common shared underlyingimage. The common shared underlying image can be representative of atleast one of a word processing document, a text document, a drawingdocument, a spreadsheet document, a photo document, an image document, aJPEG file, an MPEG file, a musical score, an audiovisual movie,diagnostic film, a contract document, a proposal document, an x-ray filmfile, an MRI image file, and a CAT-scan file. This aspect of theinvention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIG. 26,herein.

In a second alternate embodiment, communications is coupled between atleast two computing appliances, each of the computing appliances for useby a respective user. Each of the computing appliances is comprised of aprocessor, memory, communications interface, input apparatus, anddisplay apparatus. A display presentation on each of the displayapparatus providing for a display image of a common shared underlyingimage. Annotation data is stored in memory in a respective associateddata layer that is associated with the respective user thereof,responsive to input by the respective user via a respective said inputapparatus of a respective computing appliance. The annotation data isrepresentative of a display image of annotations made while the displaypresentation of the image of the common shared underlying image isprovided on the respective computing appliance for viewing to therespective user. The annotation data is stored in the memory in arespective one of the data layers as associatively mapped to therespective user. The display image of the annotations made by each saidrespective user is mapped to appear in the display presentation as animage that is displayed relative to the display of the common sharedunderlying image in the display presentation, which is provided to therespective user, responsive to the annotation data. A combined displaypresentation provided at at least one of the computing appliancescomprises a combination of the annotations as made by at least one ofthe respective users and the display image of the common sharedunderlying image. The display image of the annotations are aligned toand overlaid atop of the common shared underlying image in the combineddisplay presentation. This aspect of the invention is discussed infurther detail with relation to FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, herein.

In one further embodiment, the annotations made by the respective userwhile the display presentation that is provided to the respective useris of the common shared underlying image the display image. Theannotations made by the respective user are combined in the combineddisplay presentation to appear relative to the common shared underlyingimage as aligned relative to and atop of the display presentation of thecommon shared underlying image.

In a simultaneous viewing embodiment, simultaneous viewing on therespective display apparatus is provided to each said respective user ateach of the at least two computing appliances, of a local displaypresentation of a same said combined display presentation. This aspectof the invention is discussed in further detail with relation to FIGS.29, 32, 37, 44, 45 and 56, herein.

In a preferred alternate embodiment, an initial display image initiallyprovides the display presentation to the respective user of a displayimage of an initial common shared underlying image of a display image ofonly a base core image. The common shared underlying image is changed(updated) at subsequent points in time to create a respective subsequentevolved common shared image for a subsequent respective point in time(comprising the base core image combined with the images for all theannotations of at least one user (or for a combination of selectedusers) as made up to said subsequent respective point in time). Asubsequent display image is provided of the display presentation to atleast one user. The subsequent display image is comprised of (at leastat a minimum the addition of) an image of selected ones of userannotations that are not currently already included in the initialdisplay image. An updated combined display presentation provides adisplay image of the selected ones of user annotations shown as alignedto and overlaid atop of the initial display image.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be better understood by reference to thefollowing drawings along with the detailed description of the followingdrawings.

FIGS. 1-71 illustrates various configurations and embodiments of theinvention with various features and functionality.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system with Global Layer Storage with MappingLogic.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system with Distributed Layer Storage with MappingLogic.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system with Global Layer Storage and distributedMapping Logic.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system with Distributed Layer Storage anddistributed Mapping Logic.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Global Layer Storagewith Mapping Logic and layer-edit logic.

FIG. 6 illustrates embodies a system with Distributed Layer Storage withMapping Logic and Data Layer Edit Logic.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Distributed LayerStorage with mapping and Data Layer Edit Logic and serversynchronization.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative system similar to FIG. 3, and shows anembodiment of a system of layered data storage with Global Data LayerStorage, distributed mapping and Data Layer Edit Logic.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a system of Distributed LayerStorage, Data Layer Edit Logic, distributed mapping and serversynchronization.

FIG. 10 illustrates embodies a system of Distributed Layer Storage, DataLayer Edit Logic, distributed mapping and client synchronization.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment showing the mapping storage logic withedit logic and layer partitioning for global mapping.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment showing Mapping Logic with layerpartitioning for global mapping, alternative to and similar to FIG. 11with the exception that it does not include the edit logic as shown inFIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows system embodiment with a Mapping Logic for distributedmapping, alternative to and similar to FIG. 12, but having a separateone of the Mapping Logic for distributed mapping included for each userand included in each user display appliance.

FIG. 14 shows a system embodiment of a mapping layer logic with editlogic and for distributed mapping, alternative and similar to FIG. 12,but where the Mapping Logic/table does not have storage or logic for auser as in FIGS. 11 and 12, and where there is an additional element inFIG. 14 that is not in FIG. 13, which additional element provides logicto define for each user a definition of the edit permission level, whichprovides definition and permissions as to whether or not editing ispermitted for a respective particular user, and as to which level thatparticular user should be editing.

FIG. 15 illustrates the Network Layer Storage with mapping, and with,inter alia, layer storage display logic, which combines the layersdependent on the Mapping Logic.

FIG. 16 illustrates details of the Layer Storage (as shown in FIG. 15and several other illustrated embodiments as illustrated and describedelsewhere herein).

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of Layer Storage with edit logic.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a Network Layer Storage with MappingLogic and edit logic; FIG. 18 illustrates an alternative embodiment ofFIG. 15, which is similar to FIG. 15, with the exception that there isnow Layer Edit Logic so that the network interface may now receiveinformation about a layer that needs to be edited, and which providesthe information to edit it, and which communicates that information toand with Layer Storage with edit logic 1700.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a Distributed Layer Storage, with basicLayer Storage with a Layer Data network interface that allows it tocommunicate with the user display appliances and contains Layer Storage1600.

FIG. 20 illustrates an embodiment of Distributed Layer Storage structurewith edit logic providing an embodiment with logic to allow the LayerStorage to be modified for editing.

FIG. 21 shows the embodiment of a Distributed Layer Storage structurewith edit logic and synchronization, similar to FIG. 20 with theaddition that there is synchronization logic added so that when editsare made to a particular layer then those changes are communicated toother distributed Network Layer Storage elements to maintain the data inthe proper defined layer at all places where that information needs tobe stored.

FIG. 22 is similar to FIG. 18 and contains all of the elements andfunctions of FIG. 18, with the addition of synchronization logic which,similar to FIG. 21, maintains data integrity across Network LayerStorage elements as in FIG. 18.

FIG. 23 illustrates simultaneous document collaboration, video, voiceand audio communications.

FIG. 24 illustrates an embodiment of the display-computing appliancewith mapping storage, user display logic and a user display.

FIG. 25 illustrates a display-computing appliance with display, wherethe user appliance has an interface to access network storage that'sstored elsewhere, and a user display.

FIG. 26 illustrates an embodiment of a display computing appliance withdisplay and input device, similar to FIG. 25, but with the addition ofan input user device at the user display computing appliance which isused, inter alia, to communicate with the network storage to providechanges to the Network Data Layer.

FIG. 27 illustrates an embodiment of a display computing appliance withmapping storage, user display logic, user display and user layer editinglogic, similar to FIG. 24 with the addition of a user input device andLayer Edit Logic, inter alia, to allow the display computing applianceto make changes to the Layer Data in network storage that's storedelsewhere.

FIG. 28 illustrates an embodiment of a display computing appliance withmapping storage, user display logic, user display, user layer editinglogic and synchronization logic, similar to FIG. 27 with the addition ofsynchronization logic.

FIG. 29 illustrates music team Mapping Logic for distributed DataLayers.

FIG. 30 illustrates a first method of data flow for a music team.

FIG. 31 illustrates a second method of data flow for a music team.

FIG. 32 illustrates education Mapping Logic for distributed Data Layers.

FIG. 33 illustrates a first method of data flow for a student in aneducation team.

FIG. 34 illustrates an alternative data flow for the student for aneducation team.

FIG. 35 illustrates data flow for a teacher for an education team.

FIG. 36 illustrates education team data flow for student layer editsmade by the teacher.

FIG. 37 illustrates ad hoc Mapping Logic with distributed Data Layers.

FIG. 38 illustrates data flow of user-to-user edits in an Ad Hoc team.

FIG. 39 illustrates an embodiment of display logic, where the displaylogic has a storage for combined Layer Data, a Display Logic Controllerand a means to combine layers and where the result is then sent to thedisplay.

FIG. 40 illustrates Layer Edit Logic.

FIG. 41 illustrates Layer Edit Logic with synchronization logic.

FIG. 42 illustrates an embodiment of a coordinator appliance that hascoordination functions on a team.

FIG. 43 illustrates a non-coordinator appliance, similar to acoordinator appliance but without coordinator control logic.

FIG. 44 illustrates a database system that provides control informationand Data Layer storage.

FIG. 45 illustrates the embodiment of database storage contained in thedatabase system illustrated in FIG. 44.

FIG. 46 illustrates an embodiment wherein multiple teams are eachseparately made up of multiple appliances and can each co-exist on thesame network but act as independent teams, showing a music team, aneducation team, a meeting team and an Ad Hoc team.

FIG. 47 illustrates roles within a music team, showing multiple rolesand the functioning of the appliance and what layers are used by aparticular appliance and how it depends on its role, and showing how anyedits that may be made will depend on the role that an appliance isfunctioning in.

FIG. 48 illustrates roles in an education team, showing the case wherethere are two different roles: the teacher and the student.

FIG. 49 shows appliance roles in a meeting team, showing the case wherethere are three different roles, which can change during the course of ameeting, the three roles being facilitator, presenter and attendee.

FIG. 50 shows appliance roles in the Ad Hoc team, where there isillustrated only one role, wherein each appliance has the samefunctionality and communicates with any of the other appliances asdesired.

FIG. 51 shows identification messages in a team.

FIG. 52 shows conversational messages in a team.

FIG. 53 illustrates an embodiment of a structure used to contain LayerData.

FIG. 54 illustrates an embodiment of a structure used to contain LayerData vector information.

FIG. 55 illustrates an embodiment of a structure used to contain LayerData textual information.

FIG. 56 illustrates an embodiment of a structure used to contain LayerData combining group objects, point objects and text objects illustratedin FIGS. 53-55.

FIG. 57 illustrates a system of appliances connected via a local areanetwork and the Internet in various physical locations.

FIG. 58 illustrates an education team with one teacher and threestudents where the teacher is communicating to the entire classroom.

FIG. 59 illustrates an education team with a teacher interacting with astudent one-on-one.

FIG. 60 illustrates an education team with one teacher and threestudents where the teacher is monitoring the entire classroom'sprogress.

FIG. 61 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, is viewingall the messages.

FIG. 62 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, is viewingmessages between himself and his manager, John.

FIG. 63 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, is viewingis messages from his groupies.

FIG. 64 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, is viewingthreads of messages that he has participated in.

FIG. 65 illustrates a social team where the owner, John, is viewing allthe messages.

FIG. 66 illustrates a social team where the owner, John, is viewingmessages between himself and Frankie.

FIG. 67 illustrates a social team where the owner, John, is viewingthreads of messages that he has participated in.

FIG. 68 illustrates a social team where the owner, Mary, is viewing allthe messages available to her.

FIG. 69 illustrates a social team where the owner, Mary, is viewing allthe threads she has participated in.

FIG. 70 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, is viewingthreads of messages that he has participated in with an expanded view.

FIG. 71 illustrates Layer Data that contains Layer Data Elements withcontext and content information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIGS. 1-10 illustrates alternate embodiments and various configurationsof the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment comprising a system with GlobalLayer Storage with mapping. In a preferred embodiment of this system, itis comprised of Network Layer Storage, 1500, with mapping in a globallocation. In other words, Global Layer Storage is provided at onelocation that is on a connected Appliance Data Network of a plurality ofappliances, communicating and providing information to the plurality ofcomputing appliances each with their own display. The connectedAppliance Data Network in this embodiment is comprised of a connection;1501, 111, 121, 131; of each subsystem; 1500, 110, 120, 130respectively; to the Appliance Data Network, 101. The Display ComputingAppliances 110, 120 and 130. These are instances of a Display ComputingAppliance 2500 as described in further detail in FIG. 25. The NetworkLayer Storage, 1500, is described in further detail in FIG. 15. Itshould be noted that in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and theembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 thatthree Display Computing Appliances; as embodied in FIG. 24, 25, 26, 27or 28; are shown but any number more than one is acceptable.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system with Distributed Layer Storage with mapping.There are multiple distributed networked layer storage at separatelocations; 240, 250, 260; on the connected Appliance Data Network andeach having mapping within the storage coupled to a plurality of userdisplay computing appliances; 210, 220, 230; each with their owndisplay. The connected Appliance Data Network in this embodiment iscomprised of a connection; 241, 251, 261, 211, 221, 231; of eachsubsystem; 240, 250, 260, 210, 220, 230 respectively; to the ApplianceData Network, 201. In this embodiment a specific Data Layer is storedonly once in one of the Network Layer Storage locations, 240, 250, 260.The Display Computing Appliance, 2500, is the embodiment of blocks 210,220 and 230 and is described in further detail in FIG. 25. The NetworkLayer Storage, 1500, is described in further detail in FIG. 15. Thenumber of Network Layer Storage locations and Display ComputingAppliances can be the same or different. It should be noted that in thisembodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the embodiments illustrated in FIGS.; 4,6, 7, 9 and 10; the physical location of the Network Layer Storage andthe user display computing appliances may be in the same physicallocation or they may be in their own separate physical locations. Someappliances may have Network Layer Storage in the same physical locationas a Display Computing Appliance or even integrated within theappliances, or some may not. The choice configuration is quite flexibleand compatible with the present invention. Likewise three Network LayerStorage; embodied as shown in FIGS. 15, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22; instancesare shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10 but any number above one isacceptable.

FIG. 3 illustrates a system with Global Layer Storage and distributedmapping as illustrated in this embodiment. Global network storage, 1900,is concentrated in one location, communicating via the connectedAppliance Data Network to a plurality of display computing applianceseach having local mapping in the particular appliances to provide logicto map the global Data Layer storage. The connected Appliance DataNetwork in this embodiment is comprised of a connection; 1901, 311, 321,331; of each subsystem; 1900, 310, 320, 330 respectively; to theAppliance Data Network, 301. The Display Computing Appliance, 2400, isthe embodiment of subsystems 310, 320 and 330 and is described infurther detail in FIG. 24. The Network Layer Storage, 1900, is describedin further detail in FIG. 19.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system with Distributed Layer Storage anddistributed mapping, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the system here has aplurality of networked layer storage locations; 440, 450, 460; which arein communication via the connected Appliance Data Network with aplurality of user display computing appliances; 410, 420, 430; whicheach containing a display and mapping for the layer storage. Theconnected Appliance Data Network in this embodiment is comprised of aconnection; 441, 451, 461, 411, 421, 431; of each subsystem; 440, 450,460, 410, 420, 430 respectively; to the Appliance Data Network, 401. Inthis embodiment a specific Data Layer is stored only once in one of theNetwork Layer Storage locations, 440, 450, 460. The Display ComputingAppliance, 2400, is the embodiment of subsystems 410, 420 and 430 and isdescribed in further detail in FIG. 24. The Network Layer Storage, 1900,is the embodiment of subsystems 440, 450 and 460 and is described infurther detail in FIG. 19.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Global Layer Storagewith mapping and layer-edit logic. This is similar to FIG. 1 with theexception that editing logic is added to both the Network Layer Storageand to each display-computing appliance. Thus, particular layers can beedited by a selected user, and results in causing modifications to therespective layer storage, and in accordance with one aspect of thepresent invention, can also selectively alter the composite displaypresentation on one or more selected ones of the user display computingappliances, depending on the mapping provided. The connected ApplianceData Network in this embodiment is comprised of a connection; 1801, 511,521, 531; of each subsystem; 1800, 510, 520, 530 respectively; to theAppliance Data Network, 501. The Display Computing Appliance, 2600, isthe embodiment of subsystems 510, 520 and 530 and is described infurther detail in FIG. 26. The Network Layer Storage, 1800, is describedin further detail in FIG. 18.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Distributed LayerStorage with mapping and Data Layer edits. This is similar to FIG. 2with the exception that editing logic has been added to both the NetworkLayer Storage. There are a plurality of Network Layer Storage memory;640, 650, 660; and a plurality of user display computing appliances;610, 620, 630; each and all of which has editing logic added tofacilitate selectively allowing the user to make changes to therespective zero, one or more layers as determined by the Mapping Logic.The connected Appliance Data Network in this embodiment is comprised ofa connection; 641, 651, 661, 611, 621, 631; of each subsystem; 640, 650,660, 610, 620, 630 respectively; to the Appliance Data Network, 601. Inthis embodiment a specific Data Layer is stored only once in one of theNetwork Layer Storage locations, 640, 650, 660. The Display ComputingAppliance, 2600, is the embodiment of subsystems 610, 620 and 630 and isdescribed in further detail in FIG. 26. The Network Layer Storage, 1800,is the embodiment of subsystems 640, 650 and 660 and is described infurther detail in FIG. 18.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Distributed LayerStorage with mapping and Data Layer edits and server synchronization.This system is similar to FIG. 6 with the exception that each of theNetwork Layer Storage devices has server synchronization provided forand included in the storage device. The connected Appliance Data Networkin this embodiment is comprised of a connection; 741, 751, 761, 711,721, 731; of each subsystem; 740, 750, 760, 710, 720, 730 respectively;to the Appliance Data Network, 701. The Display Computing Appliance,2600, is the embodiment of subsystems 710, 720 and 730 and is describedin further detail in FIG. 26. The Network Layer Storage, 2200, is theembodiment of subsystems 740, 750 and 760 and is described in furtherdetail in FIG. 22. This embodiment includes the synchronization logicwith the Network Layer Storage, 2200. The embodiment illustrated in thisFIG. 7 and the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 provide forsynchronization that allows for the same updated data for a respectiveparticular layer to be stored in memory devices at multiple locations ineach one of the Network Layer Storage devices, and allows the displaycomputing appliances to access that respective layer from any one of theNetwork Layer Storage devices. The server synchronization provides thelogic that makes sure that when a change is made to a layer in one ofthe Network Layer Storage devices that the change is communicated to allof the other Network Layer Storage devices that have the same respectivelayer stored in them, so that the respective layer has its Layer Dataupdated to contain the same information. This allows for a much moreflexible storage network and the Network Layer Storage devices canoptionally be, or not be, physically co-located with a respective one ofthe user display appliances. Alternative, or additionally, some of theuser display appliances may have Network Layer Storage, while others donot. Also, it is not a requirement of the present invention that alllayers are stored in each and all Network Layer Storage devices. Thesynchronization is only required when at least two of the Network LayerStorage devices contain a same respective layer, ie., duplicate copies,so that those storage devices can be maintained to have identical LayerData stored for that respective same layer. In addition, there is norestriction on how many locations a particular layer is duplicated.Obviously, this provides for a very flexible choice of storage optionsthat allows for static or dynamic allocation of storage for layers whichcan be optimized for tradeoffs in storage requirements, networktraffic/bandwidth/latency and the complexity of managing multiple copiesstorage.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a system is similar to FIG. 3. FIG.8 illustrates an embodiment of a system of layered data storage withglobal Data Layer storage, distributed mapping and selectively providingfor Data Layer edits. In this illustrated embodiment of the system,there is a centralized global Network Layer Storage coupled forcommunication with multiple computing display appliances. The MappingLogic is done at each appliance and, different from the system of FIG.3. There is Edit Logic which has been added to each user displaycomputing appliance and to the Network Layer Storage, so that for aselectively enabled user, the enabled user can make changes to aparticular respective mapped edit layer. In addition, a Global ControlProcessor, 890, is included which works in conjunction with the ControlProcessors in the Display Computing Appliances, 810, 820, 830. Theconnected Appliance Data Network in this embodiment is comprised of aconnection; 2001, 811, 821, 831, 891; of each subsystem; 2000, 810, 820,830, 890 respectively; to the Appliance Data Network, 801. The DisplayComputing Appliance, 2700, is the embodiment of subsystems 810, 820 and830 and is described in further detail in FIG. 27. The Network LayerStorage, 2000, is described in further detail in FIG. 20. Note that theGlobal Control Processor, in this embodiment and in the embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, is not required to be present. Somesystems do not require centralized coordination of activities and theGlobal Control Processor would have nothing to do so can be eliminated.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a system of Distributed LayerStorage, Data Layer edits, distributed mapping and serversynchronization. This is similar to FIG. 4 with the exception that logicand storage to selectively permit Data Layer edits have been added sothat selectively enabled ones of the users may change data stored for aparticular layer, and there is server synchronization. The serversynchronization logic in the Network Layer Storage, 2100, allows changedata for a layer to be stored in multiple Network Layer Storage devicesand locations and the server synchronization makes sure that once achange is made to Layer Data for a respective layer in one networkstorage device and location that the respective change to the respectiveLayer Data is synchronized and that an identical change is to respectiveLayer Data in all other locations that said respective layer exists. Theconnected Appliance Data Network in this embodiment is comprised of aconnection; 941, 951, 961, 911, 921, 931, 991; of each subsystem; 940,950, 960, 910, 920, 930, 990 respectively; to the Appliance DataNetwork, 901. The Display Computing Appliance, 2700, is the embodimentof subsystems 910, 920 and 930 and is described in further detail inFIG. 27. The Network Layer Storage, 2100, is the embodiment ofsubsystems 940, 950 and 960 and is described in further detail in FIG.21. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 9, the user display-computingappliance may selectively access a respective layer from any of thenetwork storage devices and locations that contains that respectivelayer. The user display-computing appliance also contains Edit Logic toselectively allow the user to make and communicate changes to theNetwork Layer Storage.

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a system of Distributed LayerStorage, Data Layer edits, distributed mapping and clientsynchronization. This is similar to FIG. 9 with a difference being thatthe synchronization is contained in the user display computing applianceand not the Network Layer Storage. Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 10,it is the responsibility of each user display-computing appliance thatwhen there is a change made at that respective user display-computingappliance to data for a respective layer in one network storage layerlocation that the user display-computing appliance synchronizes thechange in the data for the respective layer so as to make the change inthe data for the respective layer in all the network storage devices andlocations so as to maintain that the respective data for the respectivelayer is identical in all layer storage devices. In this embodiment, theuser display-computing appliance can selectively access the respectiveData Layer from any one of the network storage devices/locations and thenetwork storage layer device/location can be (or not be) co-located witheach user display-computing appliance. The connected Appliance DataNetwork in this embodiment is comprised of a connection; 1041, 1051,1061, 1011, 1021, 1031, 1091; of each subsystem; 1040, 1050, 1060, 1010,1020, 1030, 1090 respectively; to the Appliance Data Network, 1001. TheDisplay Computing Appliance, 2800, is the embodiment of subsystems 1010,1020 and 1030 and is described in further detail in FIG. 28. The NetworkLayer Storage, 2000, is the embodiment of subsystems 1040, 1050 and 1060and is described in further detail in FIG. 20.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment of the mapping storage logic with EditLogic and layer partitioning logic for global mapping. This mappingstorage logic is used when the Mapping Logic is distributed andtherefore each user at each user display-computing appliance is capableof having their own information for their mapping. The Mapping Logic isresponsive to the display logic, which determines when to update thedisplay. The display logic selects a particular user and communicatesthat to user input, 1111. The level input, 1112, is responsive to thedisplay logic which starts with level 0 to obtain the first Data Layerpointer, 1113, and part, 1114, for the first layer of the display. TheNetwork Layer Storage is responsive to the Data Layer pointer and part.The display logic in turn is responsive to the Network Layer Storage andreceives the first desired portion of Layer Data. The display logic thenincrements the level to 1 to obtain the second portion of Layer Data forcombining with the first layer for the display. The display logiccontinues to increment the level and combining the resulting portion ofLayer Data with previous portions of Layer Data until an invalid DataLayer pointer is obtained indicating that no more layers are to beincluded in the display. The ordering of the Data Layers for display,since a layer layered hierarchically for display on top of another onemay be different in appearance than the layers ordered the other way.The mapping table, 1110, provides a mapping (such as a pointer or datalayer name) to each of the Data Layers that should be used and adescription of the part of the Layer Data to use. For instance, one maywant to only display the top part of the Data Layer so display mappinglayers for the part would indicate that the Data Layer for only the toppart be used for display. This Mapping Logic, 1100, also includes anEdit Logic, 1120, (such as a table with control logic) which is used todetermine which layer should be used for editing for which user at eachuser display-computing appliance and when editing is to be allowed. TheEdit Logic requires that it be indicated which user it is that theinformation is wanted for on the edit user input, 1121, and it providesthe edit level on edit level output, 1122, which would then be usedlater in the Mapping Logic (or table) to find the particular pointer tothe Data Layer which the changes would then be made to, and stored in.This storage Mapping Logic also includes an input to the Edit Logic(table), 1120, to be able to change the edit level in the Edit Logic fora particular user responsive to the mapping control logic. The MappingLogic (table), 1110, also has inputs for the user, 1115, level, 1116,Data Layer, 1117, and part, 1118, to allow the mapping control logic tomake changes to these mapping tables for the operation of the system.The Mapping Table Data Example, 1130, shows a case where there are 3users and 4 Data Layers. User A is displaying 2 different layers. User Bis displaying 2 layers, 1 of which is shared with user A and B. User Cis displaying 4 layers, 1 of which is shared with user A and B, anotheris shared only with B, another is shared only with A, and the last layeris only displayed by C. In addition, user B is displaying a differentpart of the layer than either A or C. The Edit Table Data Example, 1140,shows a case, in conjunction with the Mapping Table Data Example,wherein user A is editing Data Layer 2, user B is editing Data Layer 3and user C is editing Data Layer 4.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment of a system with Mapping Logic withlayer partitioning for global mapping. This is similar to FIG. 11 withthe exception that it does not include the Edit Logic, 1120, that is inFIG. 11. Table 1210 is similar to table 1110. Signals 1211, 1212, 1213,1214, 1215, 1216, 1217 and 1218 are similar to signals 1111, 1112, 1113,1114, 1115, 1116, 1117 and 1118 respectively. Other than that, theoperation of this is similar to that of the system of FIG. 11. Exampledata for table 1210 is shown in 1230.

FIG. 13 shows the embodiment of a Mapping Logic for distributed mapping.This is similar to FIG. 12 except that with distributed mapping, thereis a separate one of the Mapping Logic included for each user that isincluded in the user display-computing appliance. However, there is onlythe one user information in the Mapping Logic or table for each user,and therefore, there is no user input in this mapping table to select anentry by user, since the Mapping Logic in the user appliance all appliesto a particular respective user. Again, the Mapping Logic is responsiveto the display logic, which determines when to update the display whichincrements the level to obtain the Data Layer pointers and partinformation to find the associated part of the associated Data Layer inthe correct order to create a combined display. The mapping controllogic has input to the Mapping Logic (table) in order to modify thevalues of the table during operation. Table 1310 is similar to table1210. Signals 1312, 1313, 1314, 1316, 1317 and 1318 are similar tosignals 1212, 1213, 1214, 1216, 1217 and 1218 respectively. Other thanthat, the operation of this is similar to that of the system of FIG. 12.Example data for table 1310 is shown for three users in 1330, 1331 and1332.

FIG. 14 shows the embodiment of mapping layer logic with edits and fordistributed mapping. Table 1410 operates exactly as Table 1310 in FIG.13. Edit Table 1420 is similar to operation as Edit Level 1120 exceptthat with distributed mapping, there is a separate one of the Edit Levelincluded for each user that is included in the user display-computingappliance. However, there is only the one user information in the EditLevel for each user, and therefore, there is no user input to select anentry by user, since the Edit Level in the user appliance all applies toa particular respective user. Signals 1122 and 1123 are similar tosignals 1422 and 1423 respectively. The edit level provides a mappingfor a respective user at a respective user display-computing appliance,which mapping determines which Data Layer is a respective assigned levelthat the particular user should be using for editing. It should be notedthat there is also an ability to put a value in the edit level thatwould indicate that the user is not able to edit any level. As oneexample, for no edit permission, the edit level could be set to aninvalid level value, and if that value was accessed by the edit MappingLogic (e.g., mapping table), it would provide an invalid Data Layerpointer, and therefore, no Edit Data Layer would be assigned, and thus,nothing could be edited for that respective user. Example data for table1410 is shown for three users in 1430, 1431 and 1432. Example data foredit level 1420 is shown for three users in 1440, 1441 and 1442.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of Network Layer Storage with mapping.This embodiment comprises layer storage display logic, which selectivelycombines for use in display respective selected ones of the layersresponsive to the Mapping Logic. Layer data is obtained from layerstorage, 1600, (further described in FIG. 16) on data path 1601 which iscoupled via 1531 to signal 3901 of the display logic, 3900, (furtherdescribed in FIG. 39). The desired layer data is selected by signallayer, 1602, and signal part, 1603, which specify which data layer andwhat part of the data layer to retrieve in layer storage 1600. Signal1213 is coupled to 1602 via 1532 and signal 1214 is coupled to 1603 via1533 from the mapping logic 1200 (further described in FIG. 12). Themapping logic, 1200, is setup through the signals 1215, 1216, 1217, and1218 sent from mapping control, 1520. The mapping control is responsiveto messages sent through the connected Appliance Data Network, 1501,translated by the network interface, 1510, and coupled via 1521 to themapping control, 1520, from a plurality of Control Processors 2550 (seeFIG. 25) to allow the Mapping Logic, 1200, to be modified. The ControlProcessors send messages based on role of the user and the specificembodiment. The modifications of the Mapping Logic, 1200, control whichData Layers are combined for display and their order for each user. Thedisplay logic, 3900, (further described in FIG. 39) generates the signaluser, 3902 and signal level, 3903, which is coupled to the mappinglogic, 1200, to signals 1211 and 1212 via 1541 and 1542 respectively.The layer data retrieved, 3901, previously described herein, is combinedinto display presentation data for the user on signal 3904. Signal 3904is coupled to network interface, 1510, that sends the displaypresentation data via the appliance data network, 1501, to theappropriate display computing appliance. The display logic, 3900,obtains layer data combination parameters via signal 3905 that controlhow the layer data is combined. Signal 3905 is coupled to the networkinterface, 1510, which receives the layer data combination parametersfrom the appliance data network, 1501, from a plurality of ControlProcessors 2550.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of a system showing layer storage, asillustrated and utilized in FIG. 15 and other embodiments. In thisembodiment, there are multiple Data Layers, 1610, 1620, 1630, storingLayer Data and there is Layer Data Access Logic, 1610, to allow thesystem to access a particular Data Layer. The Data Layers, 1610, 1620,1630 are each illustrated in block 7100 as shown in FIG. 71. LayerStorage 1600 does not use the Data In, 7101, input of Data Layer 7100 inelements 1610, 1620, 1630. The system is not limited to three DataLayers, there may be any number of Data Layers at any given time. TheData Layer Access Logic provides a mapping (e.g., a pointer or datalayer name) for a respective particular Data Layer responsive to MappingLogic, 1200 in FIG. 15 in one embodiment. The Data Layer ID, 1602, input(responsive to the layer output, 1213, FIG. 12, in said embodiment)identifies a particular Data Layer; 1610, 1620, or 1630. The part, 1603,is coupled via 1533 to the part, 1214, that defines a portion of saidLayer Data which is communicated via connection 1613, 1623 or 1633respectively. The data layer access, 1610, is coupled with signals 1602and 1603. Signal 7103 of 1610 is coupled to 1613. Signal 7103 of 1620 iscoupled to 1623. Signal 7103 of 1630 is coupled to 1633. Signal 7102 of1610 is coupled to 1612. Signal 7102 of 1620 is coupled to 1622. Signal7102 of 1630 is coupled to 1632. The signal 1603 is sent to one of thesignals 1613, 1623 or 1633 depending on the signal 1602. Thecorresponding data output, 1612, 1622 or 1632, respectively provides aportion of the requested Layer Data which is conveyed to the Layer PartData Out, 1601, by means of the Data Layer Access, 1610. This providesthe means to access a particular Data Layer and provides for output ofthe respective Layer Part Data Out, 1601, of Layer Data.

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of a layer storage with Edit Logic foredits. This is used in various embodiments. It is similar to FIG. 16with all the same functions of FIG. 16, plus with the addition of theability to accept change data for a portion of a for a specific DataLayer. In this embodiment, there are multiple Data Layers, 1710, 1720,1730, (similar to 1610, 1620, 1630 in FIG. 16) storing Layer Data andthere is Layer Data Access Logic, 1710, (similar to 1610 in FIG. 16) toallow the system to access a particular Data Layer. The Data Layers,1710, 1720, 1730 are each an instance of subsystem 7100 as illustratedin FIG. 71. The system is not limited to three Data Layers, there may beany number of Data Layers at any given time. The Data Layer ID input,1702, and Part input, 1703, are responsive to the Mapping Logic, 1100,Mapping Control, 1820, and Layer Edit Logic, 4000, in one embodimentdescribed in FIG. 18. The Layer Part Data Out, 1701, provides thecurrent state of the portion of Layer Data described by inputs 1702 and1703. The Layer Part Data In, 1704, is change data responsive to theLayer Edit Logic's, 4000, output, 4002, (in said embodiment) is used toreplace the portion of Layer Data. Layer Part Data In, 1704, is resultof processing by the Layer Edit Logic, 4000, (in said embodiment) tomodify the specified contents of the portion of Layer Data with changesresponsive to user input. Data Layers may be created at any time by thesystem by specifying a Data Layer ID that does not exist in LayerStorage 1700 and providing Layer Part Data In, 1704. A Data Layer, 1710,1720, 1730, will be eliminated when a Data Layer has contains no LayerData. If the Data Layer ID, 1702, identifies a non-existent Data Layerthen Layer Part Data Out, 1701, contains no data. Data layer access,1710, uses the data layer id, 1702, to select on of the data layerstorage subsystems, 1710, 1720 or 1730. The layer part data in, 1704,and part, 1703 are coupled by data layer access, 1710, to theaforementioned selected subsystem, 1710, 1720 or 1730 and coupled to thecorresponding data in and part inputs, 7101 in 1710 via 1711 and 7103 in1710 via 1713, 7101 in 1720 via 1721 and 7103 in 1720 via 1723, or 7101in 1730 via 1731 and 7103 in 1730 via 1733. The selected subsystem 1710,1720 or 1730 modifies a portion of the layer data stored within based onthe change data on data in, 7101 and the part, 7103, specifying theportion.

FIG. 18 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention,showing a system that is similar to FIG. 15 but with the addition ofLayer Edit Logic, 4000, which provides for the network interface, 1810,to receive information defining permission to allow a respectiveselected Data Layer to be edited and provides the information on whichData Layer to edit and communicates change data from the respective userat the respective user display-computer appliance for storage in therespective Data Layer in the layer storage with edits 1700. The changedata is received via the appliance data network, 1801, from a displaycomputing appliance (see FIG. 5 or 6) which is coupled to the networkinterface 1810 that sends the change data via 1811 which is coupled tothe Layer Edit Logic 4000, via 4001. The Layer Edit Logic is responsiveto the change data provided on input 4001. This initiates a series ofevents. First, the user information is stripped from the change datarequest and output on 4004 and connected to the Mapping Logic, 1100, via1861 to inputs 1121 and 1111. Inputs 1121 and 1111 are shared and eachcan independently trigger a request for the edit level. The MappingLogic outputs the edit level on 1122 and is coupled to the level input,1112, again a shared input via 1862. Now that the level and part areprovided on inputs 1111 and 1112, the Mapping Logic outputs Layer Datapointer and part on outputs 1113 and 1114. These are connected to inputs1702 and 1703 respectively. The layer storage is responsive to theseinputs and outputs the edit portion of Layer Data on output 1701. Thisis information is conveyed via 1831 to input 4003 of the Layer EditLogic, 4000. The Layer Edit Logic combines the edit portion of LayerData with the change data and outputs the modified portion of Layer Dataon 4002 which is coupled to 1704 via 1834. Finally, the layer storagewith edits replaces the edit portion of Layer Data with the modifiedportion of Layer Data. The rest of the operation is similar to 1500 inFIG. 15. The signals 1701, 1702, 1703, 1111, 1112, 1113, 1114, 1115,1116, 1117, 1118, 1801, 1821, 1831, 1832, 1833, 1841 and 1842 in FIG. 18are similar in operation to 1601, 1602, 1603, 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214,1215, 1216, 1217, 1218, 1501, 1521, 1531, 1532, 1533, 1541 and 1542 inFIG. 15 respectively and are described in detail in FIG. 15. Inaddition, subsystem 1700 in FIG. 18 is similar in operation to subsystem1600 in FIG. 15 for retrieving layer data to generate the display and isdescribed in detail in FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present inventionshowing Distributed Layer Storage. As illustrated in FIG. 19, layerstorage, 1600, is illustrated with Data Layer network interface, 1910,that allows the layer storage to communicate with the user displaycomputing appliance as shown in two embodiments in FIGS. 3 and 4. Theseembodiments are similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2respectively except that the Display Logic, 3900; Mapping Logic, 1300;and Mapping Control, 2420, is now located in the Display ComputingAppliance, 2400. Layer Part Data Out, 1601 is coupled via 1931 to thelayer data network interface, 1910, and then to network 1901 that iscoupled (in FIGS. 3 or 4 and 24) to the Display Logic, 3900 in one ofthe specific Display Computing Appliances; 310, 320, 330 or 410, 420,430. The display computing appliance receiving the layer data is thesame as the Display Computing Appliance that sends to the data Layer,1313, and Part, 1314. Signals 1313 and 1314 are coupled through theappliance data network, 1901, (see FIGS. 3 or 4 and 24) and coupled viathe layer data network interface, 1910, to 1602 via 1932 and 1603 via1933. The effective operation illustrated in FIG. 19 is the same in FIG.15 except that the display logic, mapping logic and mapping control aremoved from the the layer storage and into the display computingappliance.

FIG. 20 illustrates an alternate embodiment showing a system havingDistributed Layer Storage structure with edit logic. This is similar tothat shown in FIG. 19. However, this illustrated embodiment includesedit logic within Layer Storage With Edits, 1700, to selectively allowrespective Data Layer in the layer storage to be modified for editing,permitting a respective user at a respective user display-computingappliance to make edits. The change data is output on 4002 in displaycomputing appliance 2700 or 4102 in display computing appliance 2800 andcoupled to the appliance data network, 2001 (see details in FIGS. 8 and27 or FIGS. 10 and 28). The change data is coupled from the layer datanetwork interface 2010 via 2034 to 1704. Similar to subsystem 1900, thesignals 1702 and 1703 are similarly coupled from the display computingappliance via coupling 2032 and 2033 respectively to provide the layerstorage with edits, 1700, the data layer and part to modify the storagebased on the change data. The signals 2031, 2032, 2033 and 2001 aresimilar in operation to signals 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1901 for retrievinglayer data and described in detail in FIG. 19. The effective operationillustrated in FIG. 20 is the same in FIG. 18 except that the displaylogic, mapping logic, layer edit logic and mapping control are movedfrom the the layer storage and into the display computing appliance.

FIG. 21 shows another embodiment of the present invention, showing aDistributed Layer Storage structure with edit logic and synchronizationlogic. This is similar to FIG. 20, with the addition of synchronizationlogic so that when edits are made to so as to change the Layer Data asstored in a particular layer of the Data Layers, then those changes areselectively communicated to other distributed Network Layer Storageelements for local storage of the respective change in the respectiveparticular layer of the respective local Data Layers, so as to maintainthe Layer Data in the respective Data Layer in all the places that thatData Layer is stored. Since in this embodiment, a respective particularlayer can be stored in multiple elements, the system needs to have allthose elements synchronized and updated so as to contain the same data,and the synchronization logic maintains that data integrity. The signals2131, 2132, 2133, 2134 and 2101 are similar in operation to signals2031, 2032, 2033, 2034 and 2001 for retrieving layer data and editinglayer data and described in detail in FIG. 20. The only difference isthat the change data, 2134, is coupled through the layer edit logic,4100, to 4102 and then coupled by 2194 to layer data in, 1704. Thesynchronization logic in 4100 outputs change data information on 4107and is coupled by 2137 to the layer data network interface, 2110, tosend the change data information on the appliance data network, 2101, tothe other layer storage locations that may have duplicate data layers sothe layer data remains identical. When 2134 receives change data fromsynchronization logic in another layer storage, the synchronizationlogic, 4100, separates out the layer to sync, on 4105 and part to sync,4106. The current layer data 4103 is responsive to 4105 and 4106 bycoupling 4105 to 1702 via 2192 and coupling 4106 to 1703 via 2193. 1701is responsive to 1702 and 1703. 1701 is coupled to 4103 via 2191.Finally, 4102 is responsive to both 2134 and 4103 and is coupled to 1704via 2194 which replaces the change data in the layer storage, 1700. Theeffective operation illustrated in FIG. 21 is the same in FIG. 22 exceptthat the display logic, mapping logic and mapping control are moved fromthe the layer storage and into the display computing appliance but thelayer edit logic with synchronization remains in the layer storage.

The synchronization logic can operate in different synchronizationmodes. There are 3 illustrated modes: one is a change sync mode, whichallows all the changes made to the respective Layer Data in a respectiveData Layer responsive to a respective user's edits, to be communicatedto all layer storage locations that are storing the same layerregardless of user. In the full sync layer mode, all Layer Data in arespective Data Layer is communicated to all layer storage locationsthat are storing the same layer regardless of user. This mode is usuallyused only infrequently and at one location. There are times when thesynchronization fails due to network failures, some layer storage notbeing available during operation and other failures. In this case, thebest copy of the layer storage needs to be communicated with the layerstorage that is not synchronized with the other layer storage, i.e., thelayer storage is not an exact duplicate and the synchronization logichas lost track of what to do. This mode restores the synchronization andthen the mode can be returned to the normal state of Change Sync Mode.The Full Sync Mode requires significant bandwidth to communicate allLayer Data to all the duplicate copies and is generally impractical toalways perform so is only done when necessary. The last mode is the NoSync Mode which turns off the synchronization for a particular layerstorage location. This could be used for a graceful way to remove layerstorage from the system or to make changes offline and then implementthem quickly by making changes to this layer storage then changing themode to Full Sync Mode, and finally back to Change Sync Mode. Each layerstorage location and Data Layer stored in said location can be set toone of these modes independently. However usually all are set to ChangeSync Mode.

FIG. 22 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention,showing a system similar to FIG. 18, but with the addition ofsynchronization that involves signals which, similar to FIG. 21,maintains the data integrity across the distributed Network LayerStorage elements as in FIG. 18. Signals 2211, 2231, 2232, 2233, 2241,2242, 2222, 2261, 2262, 2201 in FIG. 22 are similar to 1811, 1831, 1832,1833, 1835, 1836, 1822, 1861, 1862, 1801 respectively in FIG. 18 and arediscussed in detail there. Signals 2291, 2292, 2293, 2294, 2234 and 2237in FIG. 22 are similar to signals 2191, 2192, 2193, 2194, 2134 and 2137respectively in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention whereinsimultaneous document collaboration, video, voice and audiocommunications occur in the same system. Illustrated in FIG. 23 are twomultimedia collaboration systems 2300 and 2350. Contained within themultimedia collaboration systems is a display computing appliance, 2301and 2351 respectively. The display computing appliances communicate viaconnection 2310. Such communication is detailed elsewhere in thisdocument as described in FIGS. 1 through 10 and elsewhere herein. Adisplay, 2304 and 2354 respectively, is contained in each multimediacollaboration system. The output of the display computing appliance 2301is coupled to the display 2304 via signal 2305. Likewise, the output ofthe display computing appliance 2351 is coupled to the display 2354 viasignal 2355. The displays provide a visual output for the user of eachdisplay computing appliance. A speaker, 2302 and 2352 respectively, amicrophone, 2303 and 2353 respectively, and video camera, 2307 and 2357respectively, are contained in each of the collaboration systems .Microphone, 2303, is cross coupled via 2306 with the speaker, 2352.Likewise, microphone, 2353, is cross coupled via 2356 with the speaker,2302. This system of speakers and microphones allows the users of thecollaboration systems to carry on an voice conversation while using thedisplay computing appliances 2301 and 2351. Video camera 2307 is coupledto the display 2354 via signal 2308. Video camera 2357 is coupled to thedisplay 2304 via signal 2358. The display, 2304, will simultaneouslyprovide a video output from signals 2305 and 2358. Likewise, thedisplay, 2354, will simultaneously provide a video output from signals2355 and 2308. The video along with the voice provides for asimultaneous video conferencing ability along with the display computingappliance's document collaboration.

This illustration shows both voice and video used simultaneously withthe display computing appliances. However, only the voice or the videocould be used with the display computing appliance. The connections2306, 2356, 2308, 2358 and 2310 can be separate physical connections orcan be combined in a single, fewer, or networking type physical networkconnections. The signals 2306, 2356, 2308 and 2358 can be analog ordigital in nature. Other multimedia collaboration systems can be addedwith voice and video capabilities. In cases of 3 or more multimediacollaboration systems, the microphone and camera signals, similar to2306 and 2308, can be optionally coupled to the display and speakers ofone or a plurality of other multimedia collaboration systems providingvideo conferencing capabilities for more the one user. In addition, thesource for the audio could be provided by another source other than amicrophone such as a digital audio file, video file, tape recorder, MIDIfile or other audio source. Likewise, the video does not need to besupplied by a video camera and could be provided by a digital videofile, video tape, or other video source.

FIG. 24 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, showinga system comprising a display computing appliance with Mapping Logic, anappliance network interface, user display logic, Control Processor, anda user display, (also referred to as a user appliance). This userappliance accesses the network storage through the appliance networkinterface, 2410, which is coupled with the appliance data network, 2401,that is coupled to network layer storage, 1900. (See FIGS. 3, 4 and 19)The Mapping Control, 2420, is coupled responsive to the ControlProcessor, 2450, via 2421, which is used to control the operation of theuser appliance by defining the Data Layers and parts used to make up thedisplay to the user. The Mapping Logic, 1300, is responsive to andmodified by mapping control, 2420, coupled via level 1316, data layer1317 and part 1318. The mapping control sets the level and can obtainthe value of the data layer and part which would then be reported backto the control processor. Also the mapping control can set the level andset the value of the data layer and part obtained from the controlprocessor. The display logic, 3900, is responsive to the ControlProcessor, 2450, for setup. The portion of Layer Data is responsive to athe Mapping Logic, 1300, which in turn is responsive to the displaylogic, 3900, via level, 3903, coupled to 1312. The Mapping Logic, 1300,is responsive to level on 1312, and outputs a Layer Data pointer, 1313,and part, 1314, which is coupled to layer storage via the appliancenetwork interface, 2410, and the connected Appliance Data Networkconnector, 2401. The display logic is also responsive to portion ofLayer Data from layer storage coupled by the connected Appliance DataNetwork connector, 2401, appliance network interface, 2410, and datapath 3901. In this manner the display logic changes the level, 3903, andobtains layer data on 3901 which is used to build a display presentationfor output on 3904. The display presentation, 3904, is coupled via 2431to the user display, 2430. The user control input, 2460, provides inputvia mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice recognition, video recognitionand other devices to provide user control of the operation of thesystem. The user input is coupled to the control processor, 2450, via2452.

FIG. 25 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, showinga system comprising a display computing appliance with display, 2530,Control Processor, 2550, and an interface, 2510, (also referred to as abasic user appliance) to access network storage, Mapping Logic, displaylogic and mapping control via the connected Appliance Data Network. Thisparticular embodiment requires that the network storage also providelogic to provide an output defining a combined display of various DataLayers for a local display on a respective basic user appliance for aparticular respective user. The User display receives a displaypresentation from the display network interface, 2510, coupled by 2531.The display network interface receives the display presentation from thecoupled appliance network 2501 which is coupled to network layerstorage, 1500 (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 15.) The user control input, 2560,provides input via mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, voice recognition,video recognition and other devices to provide user control of theoperation of the system. The user input is coupled to the controlprocessor, 2550, via 2552. The control processor is coupled with othercontrol processors in the system (see FIGS. 1 and 2) via signal 2551coupled with the display network interface, 2510, and the appliance datanetwork, 2501. The control processor is also coupled with network layerstorage, 1500, in the system (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 15) via signal 2551coupled with the display network interface, 2510, and the appliance datanetwork, 2501.

FIG. 26 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention,showing a display-computing appliance with display, 2630, ControlProcessor, 2650, and input device, 2640. This is similar to FIG. 25 withthe addition of an user input device at the user display-computingappliance which user input device is used to communicate with thenetwork storage to provide communication of changes to respective LayerData in a respective Data Layer in the network storage. The signals2652, 2651, 2631 and 2601 are similar to 2552, 2551, 2531 and 2501respectively in FIG. 25 and are described in detail therein. FIG. 26uses network layer storage, 1800 or 2200 (see FIG. 18 or 22 instead of15). display computing appliance, 2600, is included in embodimentsillustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 instead of FIGS. 1 and 2. There is anadditional coupling from the user control and annotation input device,2640, via 2641 to the display and input network interface, 2610. Usersupplied changes for the document are sent on this path and then arecoupled via the appliance data network, 2601, to the layer edit logic innetwork layer storage, 1800 or 2200 (see FIGS. 5, 6, 7, 18 and 22). Theuser input device provides an interface between the user and the systemto provide data of various types for changes to Layer Data. Textual datacan be provided with a physical keyboard, virtual keyboard on a touchscreen, virtual keyboard using a mouse, mouse gestures, camera gesturerecognition, voice recognition, import from a file or network datatransfer and other means. Images are provided by mouse, touchscreeninput, stylus and digitizer input, camera, and import of images from afile or network data transfer in the form bitmap images such as JPEG,TIFF, PNG, GIF and many other formats, vector drawings, 2D and 3D modelsand other means. Video is provided by camera, and import of video from afile or network data transfer in the form of a sequence of images orcomputer simulations such as AVI, MPG, FLV, M1V, M4P, MOV, MPEG, OGG,VOB, WMV, DirectX, OpenGL, many other formats and other means. Audio isprovided by microphone, and import of video from a file, CD, DVD, iPod,MP3 player, cell phone or network data transfer in the forms such asWAV, WMA, AIFF, the audio portion of aforementioned video, many otherformats and other means.

FIG. 27 illustrates another embodiment of the present inventions,showing a display-computing appliance with Mapping Logic, 1400, mappingcontrol, 2720, user display logic, 3900, Control Processor, 2750, userdisplay, 2730, user input device, 2740, and Layer Edit Logic, 4000, fora respective user. This embodiment is similar to FIG. 24 with theaddition of a user input device and Layer Edit Logic to allow a user ofthe display-computing appliance to make changes to the Layer Data thatis communicated to the layer storage. This embodiment also containsMapping Logic utilized for that respective user and the display logicfor that respective user, and the user display device to provide apresentation responsive to the display logic. The synchronization forthe system is performed in the network layer storage with edits andsynchronization, 2100. See FIGS. 9 and 21 for the rest of the system.The user control and annotation input device, 2740, is coupled with thecontrol processor, 2750, via 2752 to all the user to control variousaspects of the system. The user control and annotation input device isalso coupled via 2741 to the layer edit logic, 4000, to provide userchanges to the document presented on the user display, 2730. The layeredit logic uses the current layer data, on 4003, which is coupled via2791 to the appliance network interface with edits. The current layerdata is obtained when accessing layer data for the display presentation,detailed later. The layer edit logic combines the user changes to thedocument with the current layer data and outputs the change data on 4002and sends it via coupling 2715 to the appliance network interface withedits, 2710. The appliance network interface with edits in turn sendsthe change data to the network layer storage with edits andsynchronization, 2100 (see FIGS. 9 and 21) to change the layer data thatis stored. The control processor is responsive to other controlprocessors in the system and the global control processor, 990, via thecoupling of the control processor to the appliance network interfacewith edits, 2710, via 2751 and the appliance data network, 2701. Themapping control 2720 is responsive to setups from the control processor,2750, via 2721. The display logic 3900 is responsive to setups from thecontrol processor via 2753. The mapping logic, 1400, is responsive tothe mapping control, 2720, via 1416, 1417, 1418, 1423 as described inFIG. 14. The mapping logic uses the output from 1422 coupled to thelevel, 1412, to look up the data layer, 1413, and part, 1414, when userchanges to the document are being processed in layer edit logic, 4000,so the current layer data is available on 2791 for editing. The displaylogic, 3900, also sets the level, 3903, for creating the displaypresentation. The mapping logic uses this output from 3903 coupled tothe level, 1412, to look up the data layer, 1413, and part, 1414. Thedata layer is coupled by 2713 to the appliance network interface withedits, 2710, to the appliance data network, 2701, which is coupled to1702 in the network layer storage, 1800 (see FIGS. 9 and 18). Likewise,part is coupled by 2714 to the appliance network interface with edits,2710, to the appliance data network, 2701, which is coupled to 1703 inthe network layer storage, 1800. If there are multiple network layerstorage instances such as 940, 950, 960 shown in FIG. 9, then thecontrol processor and appliance network interface with edits determinewhich of the instances to communicate with on the appliance datanetwork. The requested layer data responsive to data layer and part isoutput on 1701 in the selected network layer storage, 2100. The layerdata is coupled to the appliance data network, 2701 and the appliancenetwork with edits, 2710, couples the layer data to 3901 via 2711 forthe display or 4003 via 2791 for edits. The display logic combines thelayer data for each level and outputs the display presentation on 3904.The display presentation is coupled to the user display, 2730, via 2731.

FIG. 28 illustrates an alternate embodiment of a display-computingappliance with Mapping Logic, 1400, mapping control, 2820, user displaylogic, 3900, user display, 2830, user Layer Edit Logic withsynchronization, 4100. This embodiment is similar to FIG. 27, with theaddition of synchronization as in FIG. 22. The signals 2892, 2893 and2894 in FIG. 28 are similar to signals 2292, 2293 and 2294 are used forsynchronization as described in FIG. 22. The signals 2841, 2852, 2851,2853, 2862, 2831, 2811, 2813, 2814, 1416, 1417, 1418, 1423 and 2801 inFIG. 28 are similar signals 2741, 2752, 2751, 2753, 2762, 2731, 2711,2713, 2714, 1416, 1417, 1418, 1423 and 2701 respectively in FIG. 27.This embodiment is used when synchronization is not part of the networkdata storage, but is instead distributed and contained in every userappliance. It is then the responsibility of each user appliance tocommunicate changes to all other locations (e.g., other user appliances)of Network Layer Storage to make changes to a respective particularlayer if that respective particular layer is it stored in multiplelocations.

FIG. 29 illustrates an example of a setup of the Mapping Logic asembodied in Mapping Logic, 1400, as illustrated in FIG. 14 for a musicteam where the Mapping Logic is distributed in each display computingappliance. This example has two display computing appliances, leader 1and leader 2, in the leader role and two display computing appliances,member 3 and member 4, in the member role. All the Control Processors onthe team of display computing appliances are responsive to a ControlProcessor in display computing appliance that is assigned a leader role.The Control Processors add the Data Layer of the leader displaycomputing appliance that is being edited to their mapping control to bedisplayed. Thus a leader always has their layer displayed on allappliances in the team. This example has two leaders so both aredisplayed. Leader 1 is displaying a common layer, optional 2 layer,optional 1 layer, leader 2 layer and leader 1 layer. The leader 1 layeris being edited by leader 1 because the edit level is set to 4 and theleader 1 layer is level 4 in the mapping table. The user of leader 1does not see the optional 3 layer, member 3 layer or member 4 layerbecause they are not in the mapping table. Leader 2 is displaying acommon layer, leader 1 layer and leader 2 layer. The leader 2 layer isbeing edited by leader 2 because the edit level is set to 2 and theleader 2 layer is level 2 in the mapping table. The user of leader 2does not see the optional 1, optional 2, optional 3 layer, member 3layer or member 4 layer because they are not in the mapping table.Member 3 is displaying a common layer, optional 3 layer, leader 2 layer,leader 1 layer and member 3 layer. The member 3 layer is being edited bymember 3 because the edit level is set to 4 and the member 3 layer islevel 4 in the mapping table. The user of member 3 does not see theoptional 1 layer, optional 2 layer, or member 4 layer because they arenot in the mapping table. Member 4 is displaying a common layer, leader2 layer, leader 1 layer and member 4 layer. The member 4 layer is beingedited by member 4 because the edit level is set to 3 and the member 4layer is level 3 in the mapping table. The user of member 4 does not seethe optional 1 layer, optional 2 layer, optional 3 layer, or member 3layer because they are not in the mapping table. This example show theflexibility of the display options for each display computing appliancein the system. The roles of each display computing appliance define theoperations of the Control Processors which can quickly quickly changethe Mapping Logic to provide dynamic display options for the users. Theexample in FIGS. 29, 32 and 37 can also be applied to the embodiment ofthe Mapping Logic 1100, 1200 and 1300. The setup for Mapping Logic,1300, is identical to Mapping Logic, 1400, except that the edit level isnot included. Mapping Logic 1100 and 1200 are similar to 1400 and 1300respectively except that all the mapping tables are combined into onetable that contains another column for the user. Similarly, the editlevels are combined into one table with another column for the user.Examples of a setup are provided with each of the respective MappingLogic elements, 1100, 1200, 1300 and 1400.

FIG. 30 illustrates the music team data flow for a the first embodiment.Some team roles allow a portion of Layer Data to be sent from itsoriginal Data Layer to a different Data Layer. This flow diagramillustrates the steps for a system as illustrated in FIG. 9. Thisembodiment describes the receiving appliance making the determination ofwhich Data Layer to put the portion of Layer Data.

FIG. 31 illustrates the music team data flow in a second embodiment ofthat workflow. This flow diagram illustrates the steps for a system asillustrated in FIG. 9. This embodiment describes the sending appliancemaking the determination of which Data Layer to put the portion of LayerData.

FIG. 32 illustrates an example of a setup of the Mapping Logic asembodied in Mapping Logic, 1400, as illustrated in FIG. 14 for aneducation team where the Mapping Logic is distributed in each displaycomputing appliance. This example has one display computing appliance,teacher, in the teacher role and a plurality of display computingappliances, student 1, student 2, student 3, . . . , in the studentrole. All the Control Processors on the team of display computingappliances are responsive to a Control Processor in display computingappliance that is assigned a teacher role. The Control Processors addthe Data Layer of the teacher that is being edited to their mappingcontrol to be displayed. Thus a teacher always has their layer displayedon all appliances in the team. This example has one teacher but multipleteachers are allowed, however all teachers share the same Teacher DataLayer. This example illustrates the entire class viewing the same part,lesson 6 but this does not have to be the case. However, the teacher'sControl Processor may communicate with the student Control Processorsand prohibit the students from changing the part being viewed, oralternatively allow one or all the students change the part, e.g., moveon to lesson 7. A student always shows 3 Data Layers, the Common DataLayer, the Teacher Data Layer and the student's own Data Layer asillustrated in the example setup “Student Y Mapping Logic”. The studentalways edits their own Data Layer but the Teacher Data Layer is alwaysincluded on the display. A teacher has three difference modes fordisplay: teacher mode, multi-mode and teacher-student mode. The teachermode displays 2 Data Layers, the Teacher Data Layer and Common DataLayer as illustrated in the example setup “Teacher Mapping Logic inTeacher Mode”. The teacher edits the Teacher Data Layer (multipleteacher appliances would edit the same Data Layer) and since thestudents are viewing this Data Layer they receive the edits as well butcan't modify them. The multi-mode displays the Teacher Data Layer andall the Student Data Layers as shown in FIG. 60. The teacher displaylogic operates in a multi-view mode. The common layer, level=0, isreduced in size and duplicated combined for the display multiple times.Then every other layer is reduced in size and placed over one of thecopies of the Common Data Layer. The resulting display provides anoverview of everyone in the class. The example of the Mapping Logicsetup is shown in “Teacher Mapping Logic in Multi-Mode”. Alternativeembodiments would allow the Mapping Logic to include the Common DataLayer with different parts to correspond to the parts that are currentlybeing used by each student. The student layer would then have a partcorresponding to the current student's part. This is accomplished withcommunication between the Control Processors. The teacher-student modeis identical to the mapping for a specific student. This allows theteacher to modify that Student's Data Layer and work one-on-one with thestudent to correct their mistakes or give private comments as shown inthe section “Teacher Mapping Logic in Student Mode for Student X”. Sincethe teacher is modifying the student's layer the student can makechanges to the teacher's comments. An alternative embodiment wouldcreate another Data Layer for each student for the teacher to edit andvisible only on the respective student's appliance. This would allow theteacher to make private edits on for a student but not allow the studentto edit them.

FIG. 33 illustrates the team data flow for an education team, for astudent, for a first embodiment. This flow diagram illustrates the stepsfor a system as illustrated in FIG. 9. This embodiment describes thereceiving teacher appliance of student portion of Layer Data making thedetermination of which Data Layer to put the portion of Layer Data.

FIG. 34 illustrates an alternative data flow for an education team, forthe student. This flow diagram illustrates the steps for a system asillustrated in FIG. 9. This embodiment describes the sending studentappliance of student portion of Layer Data making the determination ofwhich Data Layer to put the portion of Layer Data.

FIG. 35 illustrates the team data flow for an education team, for ateacher. This flow diagram illustrates the steps for a system asillustrated in FIG. 9. This embodiment describes the receiving applianceof teacher portion of Layer Data making the determination of which DataLayer to put the portion of Layer Data.

FIG. 36 illustrates the education team data flow for student layer editsmade by the teacher. This flow diagram illustrates the steps for asystem as illustrated in FIG. 9. This embodiment describes the sendingteacher appliance of teacher portion of Layer Data making thedetermination of which Data Layer to put the portion of Layer Data.

FIG. 37 illustrates an example of a setup of the Mapping Logic asembodied in Mapping Logic, 1400, as illustrated in FIG. 14 for an ad hocteam where the Mapping Logic is distributed in each display computingappliance. This example has a plurality of display computing appliances,member 1, member 2, member 3, . . . , in the ad hoc role. The ad hocrole does not put many limits on each appliance. Each appliance isallowed to select whatever Data Layers they choose to display and whatever part to choose. In this example, member 1 is displaying page 7 ofthe Common Data Layer, notes 1 Data Layer and member 1 Data Layer.Member 1 is editing their own Data Layer, member 1. Member 2 isdisplaying page 8 of the Common Data Layer, member 1 Data Layer andmember 2 Data Layer. Member 2 is editing member 1's Data Layer, nottheir own. Note that member 2 is editing a portion of the Data Layersthat neither member 1 or 3 are currently viewing, however, if member 1or 3 changes their part to page 8 they would obtain the changes beingmade by member 2. Member 3 is displaying page 7 of the Common Data Layerand member 1 Data Layer. It is not editing any layer and just monitoringmember 1's activities. The Control Processor of each appliance couldchange the Mapping Logic responsive to user input. Alternativeembodiments would allow the Control Processors to communicate andprohibit some settings, e.g., an appliance could prohibit viewing orediting of their Data Layer.

FIG. 38 illustrates data flow of user-to-user edits in an Ad Hoc team.The flow chart illustrates to steps that the user and Display ComputingAppliances follow to share edits. Initially, the user on the sendingappliances selects a portion of the layer data in a data layer. They theuser selects appliances that the should receive the selected layer data.The layer data is sent to those appliances. The receiving appliances donot store the received layer data in the same data layer. They store acopy of the layer data in the data layer that the receiving applianceshas marked for edit. The sending and receiving appliances thus copylayer data from one data layer to a different data layer. Each appliancethen has an unique combination of layer data from other appliances andthe layer data generated on their own respective appliance. Once copiedinto the edit data layer of the appliance, each appliance canselectively send it to another appliance, remove or modify the layerdata.

FIG. 39 illustrates another embodiment of display logic. This displaylogic has Layer Data Combined Storage, 3920, for combined Layer Data, aDisplay Logic Controller, 3930, and a logic means, Layer Data Combine,3910, to combine layer data from Data Layers for multiple Data Layers,and a connection, 3904, to send the result to the display forpresentation. The Display Logic Controller, 3930, receives a displaysetup, 3905, from the Control Processor, e.g., the user to display. Itthen outputs the user on 3902 and successive levels, 3903, starting with0 to the Mapping Logic. The layer storage is responsive to the MappingLogic and provides a portion of layer data, 3901. The Display LogicController senses when no portion of layer data is available to stop theprocess and indicate via connection, 3931, to the Layer Data CombinedStorage, 3920, to output the result on display out, 3904. When a validportion of layer data is present on 3901, the Display Logic Controller,3930, indicates via 3932 to the Layer Data Combine, 3910, to combine ina specified way the portion of layer data with the current Layer DataCombined Storage, 3920, via 3912. The Layer Data Combine, 3910, outputsthe combination result on 3911 and the Layer Data Combined Storage,3920, is instructed by the Display Logic Controller, 3930, via 3931 tostore this combined result.

FIG. 40 illustrates an embodiment of the Layer Edit Logic, 4000, whichis responsive to Data Layer change information, 4001, that is obtainedfrom user input. The information separation, 4010, is responsive to theData Layer change information and provides two outputs: user to bemodified, 4004, and modifications, 4011. The Mapping Logic is responsiveto the user to be modified and the Layer Storage is responsive to theMapping Logic which provides the Current Data Layer coupled via 4003.The Data Layer modifier, 4020, is responsive to both the Current DataLayer and modifications and applies the modifications to the CurrentData Layer and outputs the modified Data Layer, 4002. The modified DataLayer is then coupled to the the Layer Storage where it replaces thecurrent layer data.

FIG. 41 illustrates an embodiment of Layer Edit Logic withsynchronization, 4100. This is similar to the embodiment, 4000, in FIG.40 but with the addition of synchronization of multiple copies of DataLayers. The elements 4101, 4160, 4161, 4120, 4103, 4102 are functionallyequivalent to 4001, 4010, 4011, 4020, 4003, 4002 respectively. The “sendchanges to other Layer Storage locations”, 4140, otherwise known as“send changes” is responsive to the user modifications, 4161. The layerchanged, 4108, and part changed, 4109. Signals 4108 and 4109 are activewhen a display computing appliance makes a change in the layer storage.4108 and 4109 are coupled to the Mapping Logic which is responsive tothe user to be modified, 4104. Send changes combines these inputs andsends it to other Layer Storage locations that have a duplicate of thelayer changed via coupled by Data Layer Sync Out, 4107, which isconnected Appliance Data Network. Data Layer Sync Out is received fromthe connected Appliance Data Network from other instances of Layer EditLogic, 4100 on Data Layer Sync In, 4101. The user informationseparation, 4160, provides three outputs, layer to sync, 4105, part tosync, 4106, and user modifications, 4151. 4105 and 4106 are only outputwhen a synchronization change occurs, when initiated by a user the userto be modified, 4104 is active. Thus the operation varies depending onthe source of the change. The synchronization process bypasses theMapping Logic because it is dependent only on the Layer Storage. Thelayer to sync and part to sync are sent directly to the Layer Storagewhich is responsive to those signals and returns the Current Data Layer,4103. Similar to user modifications, a synchronization change is appliedto the Current Data Layer, 4103, and the Data Layer Modifier, 4120,outputs a Modified Data Layer, 4102, which is used to replace theCurrent Data Layer in layer storage.

FIG. 42 illustrates an embodiment of a coordinator appliance thatprovides coordination functions on a team. The illustrated embodiment ofthe coordinator appliance is comprised of a user input, 4220,coordinator logic, 4230, database, 4400, coordinator network interface,4240, and a display, 4210. The user input devices, 4220, includes allthe inputs used by the user of the appliance such as keyboards, mouse,touch screen, pen tablets, microphones, cameras, etc. These inputscoupled to the coordinator control logic, 4230, via 4221. Thecoordinator control logic evaluates this input, 4212, and messages fromthe network, 4231, 4233, 4234, to determine create a presentation forthe display. The coordinator control logic is also responsive to thedatabase, 4400, and the assigned role for the appliance. Coordinatorappliances generally lead the team and determine which appliances arepart of the team. The assigned role helps determine how to create thedisplay presentation and what messages should be sent to otherappliances via 4232. The coordinator network interface, 4240, handlesthe network communications and keeps track of other appliances on thenetwork. Outgoing messages, 4241, are sent to other appliances both foridentification and controlling other appliances. Incoming messages,4242, contain both identification and control information. The database,4400, contains information about the current state of the appliance butalso the Layer Storage. The display presents information to the user.Many times this is visually on a computer screen, but may also takeother forms such as sound, music, static images, movies, flash,interactive games, projectors, tactile feedback (resistance to movementin a joy stick, or vibration), motion of objects, etc.

FIG. 43 illustrates an embodiment of a non-coordinator appliance. It issimilar to the illustrated coordinator appliance as in FIG. 42, having auser input, but instead of having coordinator database logic andcoordinator network interface and logic, the illustrated non-coordinatorappliance has non-coordinator control logic. The embodiment in FIGS. 42and 43 is that the control logic is different as to what messages aresent and not sent. A non-coordinator appliance is a member of a team butis not a leader. For example, in an educational team, the teacher roleis a coordinator appliance and the student appliances arenon-coordinators. The facilitator role in a meeting is the leader of ameeting team. Participants in a meeting are non-coordinators. Thepresenter in a meeting team is also a participant but has differentfunctionality than a participant. However, the presenter could beassigned both the facilitator and presenter roles.

FIG. 44 illustrates an embodiment of a database, 4400. The database hastwo basic parts: database storage, 4500, and information gatheringfunctions as illustrated by 4410, 4420, 4430, 4440, 4450 and 4460. Thedatabase storage provides a structured method for storing and retrievinginformation. A common form of this is a relational database whichprovides tables of information that can be joined together to providecomplex, yet efficient, searches for the stored information. However,other methods can be used which may be similar to a relational databasebut not meeting the standards for a relational database, such as indexedlists, b-trees, linked-lists and other methods. Some of these canprovide the same information but with a significantly differentstructure than a relational database. In this embodiment, the docid is aunique descriptor of a unique document. The pagid is a unique descriptorof a unique page within a document (identifies part of layer data). Theimgid is a unique descriptor of a unique set of images which comprisesthe common base layer for a page of a document (part of layer data).image index selects on the unique set of images for a imgid. Each imagein the set is visually identical to the others in the set except that itis a different resolution. image file name is the file that contains theimage data for a given imgid and image index. The appid is a uniquedescriptor of a specific appliance on the network. The section andpagemark are a user-friendly description of a specific page (pagid) in adocument (docid). Doodle file name is the name of a file that containsthe layer data for a specific page (pagid). The desired size is a signalresponsive to the display that provides the optimum size for thedisplay. “Is document in the library?”, 4410, receives an docid on 4411,and queries the database storage, 4500, and returns a yes (and thedocid), 4412, or no, 4413. “Is document's page in the library?”, 4420,receives an docid, 4421, and pagid, 4422, and queries the databasestorage, 4500, and returns yes and the docid, 4424, and the pagid, 4425;or no and docid, 4423. “Is appliance on my team?”, 4430, receives anappid, 4431, and queries the database storage, 4500, and returns yes,4432, and no, 4433. “Get information about page”, 4440, receives andocid, 4441, and pagid, 4442, and queries the database storage, 4500,and returns the docid, 4443, pagid, 4444, section, 4445, pagemark, 4446.“Is page info in library?”, 4450, receives a pagid, 4451, and queriesthe database storage, 4500, and returns yes and pagid, 4454, no andpagid, 4452, section, 4455, pagemark, 4456, and doodle file name, 4457.“Get information about page”, 4440, receives an docid, 4441, and pagid,4442, and queries the database storage, 4500, and returns the docid,4443, pagid, 4444, section, 4445, pagemark, 4446. “Find best image?”,4460, receives an imgid, 4461, and desired size, 4471, and queries thedatabase storage, 4500, and returns image index, 4466, and doodle filename, 4467.

FIG. 45 illustrates an alternate embodiment of Database Storage, 4500.The database storage is composed a plurality of tables and a filesystem, 4540, for storing large amounts of data, e.g., layer data. Thetables could be implemented in a number of ways included the use of arelational database, group object structure (5300) using properties ascolumn values, b-tree files, etc. The tables have rows and columns. Theordering of the columns is not important, but the ordering of the rowsis important in some tables. In this case, some implementations willneed to add a column sortable values to keep track of the preferredorder. The doc table, 4510, and docpage table, 4520, need to maintainordering of the rows and the others do not. Ordering is important inthese tables because the order of the rows define the order that theuser sees the documents and pages within the document. The tables are:doc table, 4510, docpag table, 4520, value table, 4530, pageimage table,4550, image table, 4560, my team table, 4570, program table, 4580,registry table, 4590, and key table, 4595.

The tables are coupled together by common columns. When a row in onetable and a row in another table have a common column and the values arethe same then the other columns in each of the tables are related. Thisis called a join in a relational database. The doc table is coupled,4515, to the docpage table via a common column docid. The docpage tableis coupled, 4525, to the value table, 4530, and pageimage table, 4550,via a common column pagid. The pageimage table is coupled, 4555, to theimage table, 4560, via the common column imgid. The rows of the doctable represent a set of documents in a particular order, much likebooks carefully placed in a bookshelf. The columns in the doc table,4511, are the docid, title, visible and time. The docid is a uniqueidentifier of the document. The title is the title of the document.Visible determines whether the document will be shown or hidden. Time isthe date the document was created. Other document attributes can also bestored in other columns. The rows of the docpage table represent a pagein each document and the order of the rows put the pages in order asthey are in a book. The columns are docid, pagid, and visible. There areusually many rows with the same docid, one for each page in the documentbut each row has a different pagid. This allows pages to be quicklyreordered in using just this table. The visible column allows anindividual page to be shown or hidden. The value table has the followingcolumns: pagid, pageno, split, doodle_dir, doodle_esf, doodle_file,section and pagemark. The pagid is used to couple the rows of thedocpage table and the pagid values are unique in each row of the valuetable. The pageno column provides a page number for the page which isused for the display for the user. The split value is provides alocation on the page where it can be split between the top and bottomhalves for display. The doodle_dir provides a directory in the filesystem, 4540, where the a plurality of Data Layer store their layer datafor this page in a doodle file. The doodle_esf provides for a containerfile like zip that contains the doodle file. The doodle_file providesthe name of the file in the file system or in the doodle_esf container.Section provides a descriptive name of this page and all pages thatfollow in this document until a new section is provided for the user.Pagemark provides a descriptive name of this page only for the user. Thepageimage table, 4550, has two columns: pagid, imgid. The pagid valuesare unique in each row of the pageimage table. The imgid usually isunique but not always. This allows an image to be duplicated by usingthe same imgid value for two different pagid's. The image table, 4560,provides the location and attributes of the base common images used asthe common layer data for the page. The columns in the image table areimgid, imgdir, imgname, imgesf, imgwidth, imgpageno, time. The imgid isa unique identifier for a set representations of a visually identicalimage to the user. There are multiple images stored at differentresolutions but visually look the same to the user. This reduces thecomputations required by the appliance to resize an image to fit on aparticular display, the closest best fit can be selected that has beenprecomputed and stored. The imgdir provides the directory in the filesystem where the image is located. Imgesf is the file name of acontainer that can hold many files like a zip file. Imgname is the filename of the image on the file system directly or the name in the imgesfif provided. imgwidth and imgheight provide the width and height of theimage so the optimum image can be selected.

Since there can be multiple rows with the same value of imgid, the imageindex indicates which of the rows contains the selected image for a pageand display. Find best image, 4460, uses the imgid, 4565, matching imagetable rows, 4562, and the desired size, 4471, to find the best imagelocation, 4467. The location is combined in the full_path_name, 4545.The file system, 4540, is responsive to the full_path_name coupled by4543 and outputs the file data, 4541, via 4542 which is the image datato be sent to the display. The “Is page info in library?”, 4450, isresponsive to the pagid coupled by 4525 and 4451. The output, 4457,provides information about the page including the Layer Storage exceptbase Common Data Layer (doodle) location. The full_path_name, 4545 isresponsive to the page information and creates a description of thelocation of the Layer Storage for the file system, 4540. The file systemis responsive to the coupling signal 4543, and outputs via 4542 to thefile_data, 4541, which is the Layer Storage except the base Common DataLayer for processing by the display logic in the coordinator controllogic or non-coordinator control logic.

The my team table has one column which is teammember. This table has alist of team members on their team. This table is only present on acoordinator appliance. The program table has two columns, prog_param andprog _value. Each row of the program table has a prog_param value whichdefines parameter for the application. The prog _value in the same rowis the value for the prog_param is the value for the parameter. Theseparameters are used to define a number of items for the appliance likeits name, the current document and page being displayed and many otheritems that need to be remembered when the appliance is turned off andthen back on. The registry table has two columns, reg_param andreg_value. It is similar to the program table but is used forinstallation parameters and on some cases may be stored in a differentmanner than the other tables. The key table has the following columns:docid, appid, time, key. This table is used to store encryption keysthat some of the content may be using. The key column contains the keyfor a document specified by docid and for a specific appliance specifiedby appid. A group of documents may have been created at the same timeand can have the same key so they are identified with the time column.

FIG. 46 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present invention,showing a system wherein multiple teams each are made up of multipleappliances, and wherein the multiple teams can co-exist on the samenetwork, but act as independent teams. All teams communicate over acommon network, 4650, and connections 4611, 4621, 4631, 4641. Asillustrated in FIG. 18, there is shown a music team, 4610, an educationteam, 4620, a meeting team, 4630, and an Ad Hoc team, 4640. The musicteam is shown as optimized for people collaborating using music torehearse, edit, and/or perform the displayed music. The education teamis shown as optimized for a system operating in a classroom settingwhere there is a teacher and multiple students collaborating. Themeeting team is sown as optimized for the use during a meeting forcollaboration of multiple people, where there are multiple participants,each having an input device with one or more (some) making presentationsand with each member having the ability to make their own separate inputonto the team presentation. The Ad Hoc team is shown as optimized forcollaboration of informal gatherings of people so that they can eachcommunicate with their own ideas to a common display, and provides asystem to facilitate those meetings. Many other teams are possible, fourhave been shown in this illustration.

FIG. 47 illustrates roles within a music team. There are shown multipleroles and the functioning of the appliance. What layers are used by aparticular appliance depends on its role. Any edits that may be madewill depend on the role that an appliance is functioning in. The teamcommunicates over a common network, 4750 and connections 4711, 4721,4731, 4741.

In a music team, there can be a leader appliance, 4710, which is thecoordinator, and the leader appliance can make changes to andcommunicate these changes (ranging from edits to a display document, topage jumps, to document ordering, to import or export, etc.) with allthe other appliances. There may be multiple leader appliances on a team.

A member appliance, 4720, is one that generally listens to what theleader appliance is doing but may be able to have some other limitedfunctionality (such as making local-only edits, or local-only pagejumps, or local-only document order changes).

A listener appliance, 4730 and 4740, is similar to a member appliance,but it is strictly only able to listen to commands and input from themembers and leaders, and cannot make any changes by itself.

FIG. 48 illustrates roles in an education team. In the illustratedembodiment, there are two different roles: the teacher and the student.The team communicates over a common network, 4850 and connections 4811,4821, 4831, 4841. As illustrated, the teacher, 4810, (or all teachers ona team) has the ability to communicate with all the students, 4820, 4830and 4840, as well as with any other teacher on a same team that may beon the team and can selectively choose for communication with and tostudents as either to the entire class or to an individual selectedstudent. The teacher appliance can also select to view in real-time allof the students' appliances' displays at once in a multi-screen mode. Asillustrated, the student appliance communicates only with the teacher(or teachers, but not with other students) so that the teacher is awareof what the student is doing and themselves. The student is not able tocommunicate with other students.

FIG. 49 shows an embodiment of appliance roles in a meeting team. Theteam communicates over a common network, 4950 and connections 4911,4921, 4931, 4941. As illustrated, three are different roles. The rolesof a particular appliance can change during the course of a meeting. Thethree illustrated roles are facilitator, presenter and attendee. Thefacilitator, 4910, is the appliance that determines which appliances areallowed to be at and in the meeting and determines and decides whichappliances are permitted to be a presenter and which appliances are anattendee, 4930 and 4940. The presenter, 4920, is allowed to have his/heredits sent from his/her appliance to the appliances of other members ofthe team. The presenter can selectively control which page therespective users at each appliance in meeting is looking at. Thefacilitator can selectively change which appliance is the presenter.Individual attendees have more limited control. At the discretion of thefacilitator appliance, an attendee appliance may or may not be permittedto communicate with other appliances. A meeting can have differentpresenters at different times. The facilitator an change who (whichappliance) is enabled as a presenter. Usually there are multipleattendees and one presenter, however there are cases when multiplepresenters are desired. Multiple presenters can be confusing to theattendees in a meeting but there are times when two or more people aremutually presenting. In extreme cases, everyone could be assigned thepresenter role. There can be times when there is no presenter, such astimes in between different presenters or during breaks. A presenter andfacilitator has all the functionality of an attendee.

FIG. 50 shows appliance roles in the Ad Hoc team. As illustrated, in anAd Hoc team, there is only one role. The team communicates over a commonnetwork, 5050 and connections 5011, 5021, 5031, 5041. Each peerappliance, 5010, 5020, 5030 and 5040, has the same role andfunctionality as the other appliances, and can selectively communicatewith any one or multiple or all of the other appliances, as desired. TheAd Hoc of team gives each appliance a great deal of flexibility, anddoes not require the structure that the other types of teams have.

FIG. 51 shows identification messages in a team. A coordinatorappliance, 5110, receives messages, 5121, 5131 and 5241, from all otherappliances, 5120, 5130 and 5140, indicating what role and whatcapabilities each appliance has. The coordinator appliance can then sendmessages, 5111, to all the other appliances to indicate what role theyhave in a particular team and whether they are on the team and what thatappliance functionality is. In some teams, there may be multiplecoordinator appliances. In some embodiments, the team can be made up ofall coordinator appliances (as in an Ad Hoc team). However in the caseof a meeting team or education team, there is generally one coordinatorappliance and all the rest are non-coordinator appliances.

FIG. 52 shows conversational messages in a team. Regardless of whetheran appliance is a coordinator appliance, 5210, or a non-coordinatorappliance, 5220, 5230 and 5240, each appliance has an ability to sendmessages, 5211, 5221, 5231 and 5241, between one appliance and one orall the other appliances. Whether a message is sent, or not, isdependent on the logic of the role and the team, and is controlledaccording to the role of the respective appliance on a respective team.For example, in general, the rule is that an appliance will not send amessage to a appliance that is on a different team. Therefore, the logicfor the roles in respective appliances determine which appliance amessage is sent depending on what that other appliances' role is.

FIG. 53 illustrates an embodiment of a group object, 5300. This is acontainer object for other group objects, text objects, point objectsand properties stored in memory. The subgroup list, 5350, is coupled tothe list header, 5310, via 5318 and contains an ordered list of pointersto a plurality of group objects as shown by links 5351, 5352 and 5353.While 3 links are shown here in the subgroup list, point list and textlist any number of links can be in the list including none. The orderingof the subgroup list allows groups to be traversed in a specific order,this is important later when used to define drawing operations and theorder that items are drawn. This list defines a group tree of expandingsubgroups. The point list, 5320, is coupled to the list header, 5310,via 5312 and contains an ordered list of pointers to a plurality ofpoint objects as shown by links 5321, 5322 and 5323. The point objectsin the list define a vector that can be used to draw lines. The textlist, 5330, is coupled to the list header, 5310, via 5314 and containsan ordered list of pointers to a plurality of text objects as shown bylinks 5331, 5332 and 5333. Each text object in the list is drawn withthe provided text in the object and in the order in the text list.Property storage, 5340, provides for a value responsive to a property inproperty storage which is communicated via 5316. Any number ofproperties are available and subgroups can access the properties in anyof their parents. A subgroup can redefine a specific property and thenthe subgroup will use that value instead of the value from the parent.In this manner, the text font, text color, text style, line width, linecolor, line style and other properties can be defined to control theappearance of the lines and text drawn. In addition, a visible propertycan be set which controls whether a group object is to be drawn orskipped. These properties are used later to define Data Layers (see FIG.56).

FIG. 54 illustrates an embodiment of a Point Object, 5400. The pointobject stores three items, an X location, 5420, Y location, 5430, andop, 5440, or operation to be performed. The operations minimally aremove to and draw to but other draw operations are possible. When used ina point list, 5320, the point objects allow you to move to an XYlocation, draw to a plurality of other XY locations, and then startagain with another move to as many times as desired to make a vectordrawing. Note that properties in the property storage of one of thecontaining group objects can be used to modify how the lines are drawn(color, width, . . . ).

FIG. 55 illustrates an embodiment of a Text Object, 5500. The textobject stores three items, an X location, 5520, Y location, 5530, andtext, 5540. When used in a text list, 5330, the text objects allow youto place text at an XY location in the order of the text list. Note thatproperties in the property storage of one of the containing groupobjects can be used to modify how the text is drawn (font, style, color,. . . ). As with point objects, text objects in their respective listshare the same property values. If you wish some objects to usedifferent property values then place them in their own group object andlink to it in the subgroup list.

FIG. 56 illustrates an embodiment of a Annotation Wrapper Group, 5600.The annotation wrapper group provides an alternative embodiment for thecombination of storage of layer data and Mapping Logic. This embodimentstores a part of the layer data except the common image storedelsewhere. The wrapper group, 5300, is entered from link 5601. Thewrapper group has a subgroup list that points to group objects thatdefine the Data Layers. Shown in this example are 3 Data Layers, layergroup, 5630, 5631 and 5632, linked by 5641, 5642 and 5643 respectively,however any number of Data Layers can be defined. A version property isdefined in each layer group. In this manner the layer data can beselected by traversing only the group tree where the version propertymatches the desired Data Layer. For instance, Data Layer A would becontained in layer group 5630, similarly Data Layer B would be containedin layer group 5631 and lastly Data Layer C would be contained in layergroup 5632. Each layer group contains a subgroup list that provides thelayer data for the Data Layer. Layer group, 5630, contains 3 subgroups:two point groups, 5650 and 5651, and one text group, 5652, coupled by5641, 5642 and 5643 respectively. Layer group, 5631, contains just 1subgroup: point group 5653 coupled by 5644. Layer group, 5632, containsjust 1 subgroup: combined group 5654 coupled by 5645. The point groups,5650, 5651, 5653 and 5686, and the text groups, 5652 and 5685, each haveproperty values that define how the respective points and text aredrawn. The point groups link their respective point lists, 5320, topoint objects, 5670, 5671, 5672, 5673, 5674, 5676, 5677, 5678, 5696,5697, via links 5661, 5662, 5663, 5664, 5665, 5667, 5668, 5669, 5691,5692 respectively. The text groups link their respective text lists,5330, to text objects, 5675 and 5695, via links 5666, 5690 respectively.The combined group, 5654, allows for a more complex structure of drawingitems by containing a subgroup list with a text group and point group.This allows properties to be set once in the combined group, 5654, e.g.,color property, and then the text and point groups, 5685 and 5686, donot need to set this property and will use the property in the combinedgroup 5654. Also, the combined group, 5654, can set its visible propertyto hidden and then the text group, 5685, and point group, 5686, will notbe drawn but can be easily drawn by changing the visible property in thecombined group to show. Quite complex tree structures can be created forthe layer data and only some of the simpler structures are shown,however, the structure shown in this example provides a very flexibleand useful structure for layer data. For instance, when layer data Bneeds to be delivered to an element in the system for processing, onlythe link 5622, needs to be passed to access the data.

FIG. 57 illustrates an embodiment of a Music Team. A music team iscomposed of one or more leader appliances, 5730, 5760 and 5780, and anumber of member appliances, 5710, 5720, 5740, 5750 and 5770. Theappliances are connected to a network. Appliances 5710, 5720, 5730,5740, 5750 and 5760 are connected to a local area network, 5701, viaconnections 5711, 5721, 5731, 5741, 5751 and 5761 respectively. Althoughconnected to the same local area network, appliances 5710 and 5720 arein a physically different room than appliances 5730, 5740, 5750 and 5760but the operation is identical. The local area network, 5701, connectsto the Internet, 5790, via connection 5702. Appliances 5770 and 5780 arein different remote location and connected to the Internet, 5790, viaconnections 5771 and 5781. The Internet connections generally do notallow the connections 5702, 5771 and 5781 to communicate directly. Insome cases this is possible with the use of static IP addresses or VPNconnections, and then the appliances 5770 and 5780 can communicate withthe other appliances just as if they are in the same room. When this isnot available, most of the time, then the connections 5702, 5771 and5781 communicate with a static connection on the Internet 5791 which iscoupled with a communication server, 5792. The communication serverrelays messages between the connections 5702, 5771 and 5781. In thismanner, appliances 5770 and 5780 can communicate with the otherappliances just as if they are in the same room. Some appliances mayhave special displays such as 5720, which has a projector attached andmay users can view the display.

FIG. 58 illustrates an education team, 5801, with one teacher, 5810, andthree students, 5820, 5830, 5840, displays where the teacher iscommunicating to the entire classroom. All appliances view thebackground image, 5802, as the Base Data Layer. The teacher can write anannotation, 5811, on their appliance in the Teacher Data Layer, (in theexample shown, the word “Work Carefully”). Each student is also viewingthe Teacher Data Layer so each student immediately sees the annotation,5811, on their appliance also. Each student appliance has a unique DataLayer that they view and edit. Each student sees the Teacher Data Layerand their own Data Layer. Thus, Sarah, 5820, views the Sarah Data Layerand the Teacher Data Layer. Jim, 5830, views the Jim Data Layer and theTeacher Data Layer. And Bill, 5820, views the Bill Data Layer and theTeacher Data Layer. Each student is doing the assignment as well.Student Sarah, 5820, wrote “7”, 5821, as her answer in the Sarah DataLayer. Student Jim, 5830, wrote “9”, 5831, as his answer in the Jim DataLayer. Student Bill, 5830, wrote “8”, 5841, as his answer in the BillData Layer. In this mode of operation the teacher does not see thestudents' work because the teacher only views the Teacher Data Layer.

FIG. 59 illustrates an education team, 5901, with a teacher, 5910,interacting with a student, 5920, one-on-one. Illustrated is Sarah whichis viewing the Sarah Data Layer and Teacher Data Layer. The teacher isviewing the Teacher Data Layer and a specific student's Data Layer, inthis example the same as Sarah, 5920. Both the student and teacher editthe Sarah Data Layer. This allows the teacher and the student to makeannotations in the specific student's Data Layer which are visible byboth, but not the entire classroom. In this illustration, the teacherwrote “Incorrect”, 5912, which is also viewed on the Sarah display 5920.The student responded with a “?”, 6022, which the teacher views on theirdisplay, 5910. None of the other students are viewing this interactionbetween Sarah and the teacher so Sarah can be more confident in asking aquestion. Nor are the other students bothered by the Sarah/teacherinteraction.

FIG. 60 illustrates an education team, 6010, with one teacher, 6010, andthree students, 5820, 5830 and 5840, where the teacher is monitoring theentire classroom's progress. The student displays are the same as inFIG. 58. This illustrates an embodiment of a Teacher multi-view screen.The display screen, 6010, is shown with 3 reduced size images of thescreens of various appliances. Shown is a 2 by 2 grid of reduced sizedisplay screen images but a different grid is possible such as 3 by 3, 4by 4, 5 by 5, etc. The preferred embodiment is uses the same divisionvertically as horizontally because the aspect ratio of the reducedimages is the same as the original. Alternatively, 3 by 4, 2 by 3 andother divisions are possible. Alternatively, some of the reduced imagescan overlap on another and when highlighted they move to the top of thedisplay so they can be fully seen. The teacher can view a version ofeach student on a portion of the teacher display, 6010. Each studentversion uses a scaled version of the background image, 5802, as a DataLayer as well as the teacher and specific student layer. In thisillustration, student display, 5820, is shown in the teacher display,6010 as 6020. Student display, 5830, is shown in the teacher display6010 as 6030. Student display, 5840, is shown in the teacher display6010 as 6040. The teacher display, 5810 as shown in FIG. 58, is shown inthe teacher display 6010 as 6010. When a student modifies their own DataLayer, the teacher is updated with the annotations made by the studentin their part of the display. The teacher can select one of the portionsof the teacher display, 6020, 6030 or 6040, to enter the mode as shownin FIG. 59 for a teacher-student one-on-one session. The teacher canselect the portion of the teacher display, 6010, to enter the mode asshown in FIG. 58 for working with the entire classroom.

FIG. 61 illustrates a social team where the owner, Frankie, 6103, isviewing all the messages 6111, 6112, 6113, 6114, 6115, 6116, 6117, 6118,6119, 6120, 6121, 6122, 6123, 6124, 6125, 6126, 6127 and 6128 on adisplay 6101. These messages are displayed in various combinations inFIGS. 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69 and 70, responsive to the user,6103 in this figure, and selections by the user. Frankie is a recordingartist and does concerts. He is using Chat to keep in touch with hisfans and his manager, John. This chat team is composed of threeentities: user and owner (Frankie), user (John) and a Groupie subteam.The Groupie subteam is composed of many users, in this example: Mary,Jim, Sally, Jane, David, Fred, Randy, Kim and Bill and FrankS. UserFrankie can use two different Data Layers, Frankie and FrankS As theowner, Frankie can has control of who can join, what Data Layers theycan view and what Data Layers they can modify. John is allowed to viewall Data Layers but does not have a Data Layer in the Groupie subteam.Frankie can see everything that is going on but only Frankie will beable to see his messages. The Groupie subteam users each have a separateData Layer but they can only view Data Layers in the Groupie subteam.The Groupie subteam can communicate with each other and can communicatewith Frankie only if Frankie uses the FrankS Data Layer. In this figurethe user, Frankie, 6103, has selected to view all the messagesavailable.

FIG. 62 illustrates a social team where the user, Frankie 6203, isviewing messages, 6111, 6114, 6120, 6125 and 6128 between himself andhis manager, John 6204, on display 6201. Frankie can keep in touch withhis manager, John, without the clutter of the fans. His responses toJohn are not viewed by the fans. The Data Layers for the Groupie subteamare not displayed, including FrankS Data Layer. The John Data Layer isvisible because the user has requested that Data Layer. The Frankie DataLayer is visible because that is the user's Data Layer. They arecombined by the display logic, 3900 (see FIG. 39).

FIG. 63 illustrates a social team where the user, Frankie 6303, isviewing is messages 6112, 6113, 6115, 6116, 6117, 6118, 6119, 6121,6122, 6123, 6124, 6126, and 6127 on a display 6301. Frankie can keep intouch with his fans, his responses or messages to the fans are seen byeveryone. All the Data Layers in the subteam, Groupies, 6301, are shown.The Frankie Data Layer and John Data Layer are not visible. John'smessages, 6111, 6120, 6128 are in the John Data Layer and are thus notshown. Only the message, 6124, from Frankie in the FrankS Data Layer isshown. Messages 6114 and 6125 from Frankie are not shown because theyare in the Frankie Data Layer. These messages combined by display logic3900.

FIG. 64 illustrates a social team where the user, Frankie 6403, isviewing threads of messages that he has participated in. Frankie can seethe message threads that he has participated in. Here is a thread withhis manager and with the fans. Note how this eliminates extraneousmessages. A more expanded view of the thread could also be shown (seeFIG. 70). All Data Layers are shown but only messages in all layers thatare directly referenced by a Frankie Data Layer or FrankS Data Layermessage are shown. One thread of messages is shown because of Frankie'smessages 6114 and 6125 in the Frankie Data Layer referenced to John.John starts the thread of messages with message 6111 to Frankie to whichFrankie responds with message 6114. John responds with message 6125 andFrankie finishes the thread of messages with message 6128. This singlethread of messages contains two messages from Frankie but any numbercould be included. A second thread of messages is shown because ofFrankie's message 6124 in the FrankS Data Layer to Jane's message 6119.David's message 6118 is included because it was responded to by Jane'smessage 6119. Russ' message 6117 is included because it was responded toby message 6118. Jane started the thread of messages with message 6116which was responded to by message 6116. Only one message, 6124, fromFrankie is in this thread of messages. Only messages directly respondedto Frankie's message 6124 in the FrankS Data Layer are included by thedisplay logic 3900.

FIG. 65 illustrates a social team where the user, John 6503, is viewingall the messages. John can keep track of everything going on the in thechat room for Frankie Since John has viewing rights for all Data Layers,all Data Layers are shown. The messages shown are the same as in FIG.61. Only the user 6503 is different in display 6501 from the display6101 with user 6103.

FIG. 66 illustrates a social team where the owner, John 6603, is viewingmessages between himself and Frankie John can keep in touch with Frankiewithout the clutter of the fans. His responses to Frankie are not viewedby the fans. The Frankie Data Layer is visible because the user hasrequested that Data Layer. The John Data Layer is visible because thatis the user's Data Layer. The Data Layers for the Groupie subteam arenot displayed, including FrankS Data Layer. They are combined by thedisplay logic, 3900.

FIG. 67 illustrates a social team where the owner, John 6703, is viewingthreads of messages that he has participated in. All Data Layers areshown but only messages in all layers that are directly referenced by aJohn Data Layer are shown. One thread of messages is shown because ofFrankie's messages 6114 and 6125 in the Frankie Data Layer referenced toJohn. John starts the thread of messages with message 6111 to Frankie towhich Frankie responds with message 6114. John responds with message6125 and Frankie finishes the thread of messages with message 6128. Thissingle thread of messages contains three messages from Frankie but anynumber could be included. Not illustrated in this figure is thepossibility that John could have responded to a message in the Groupiesubteam in the John Data Layer. For instance, John, could have respondedto message 6127 with a message of “We should remove this spammer”. Thisresponse would only be visible to Frankie and not to anyone in theGroupie subteam (except Frankie). This would create a thread of messagesthat John participated in and would be shown in this display, 6701, ifJohn had responded to a message as such.

FIG. 68 illustrates a social team where the user, Mary 6803, is viewingall the messages available to her. Mary is one of the fans. She and theother members of the Groupies subteam can't view the private messagesbetween Frankie and John. Since Mary is only a member of the Groupiessubteam, she can only have the Groupies subteam member Data Layersvisible. The Frankie Data Layer and John Data Layers are not visible butthe FrankS Data Layer is visible. Thus the messages 6112, 6113, 6115,6116, 6117, 6118, 6119, 6121, 6122, 6123, 6124, 6125, 6126 and 6127 on adisplay 6801.

FIG. 69 illustrates a social team where the user, Mary 6903, is viewingall the threads she has participated in. Since Mary is only a member ofthe Groupies subteam, she can only have the Groupies subteam member DataLayers visible. The Frankie Data Layer and John Data Layers are notvisible but the FrankS Data Layer is visible. Mary only sent one message6112. No one responded to said message and so only said message isdisplayed. When and if someone does, she'll be able to easily see theresponse in context.

FIG. 70 illustrates a social team where the user, Frankie 7003, isviewing threads of messages that he has participated in with a detailedview, 7004, on display 7001. Frankie can see expanded messages (allbranches) of a thread he participated in. This is similar to FIG. 64.The element 6404 in FIG. 64 indicates a normal My Threads view and theelement 7004 in FIG. 70 indicates a My Thread detail. There is nodifference in the thread of messages that include messages, 6111, 6114,6120, 6125 and 6128. The second thread has messages 6121, 6122, 6123 and6126 also included in addition to the messages in FIG. 64. Message 6121is included because it is in response to message 6116 which was directlyincluded in the normal My Threads view. Message 6122 is included becauseit is in response to message 6119 which was directly included in thenormal My Threads view. Message 6123 is included because it is inresponse to message 6122. Message 6126 is included because it is inresponse to message 6123. These messages are combined by the displaylogic, 3900.

FIG. 71 illustrates an individual Data Layer, 7100, that contains layerdata that is segmented into Layer Data Elements, 7170, 7171, 7172, 7179.This illustration shows four (4) Layer Data Elements making up the layerdata but any number of Layer Data Elements are possible. Each Layer DataElement contains context and content information. Layer Data Element7170 contains an element context, 7130 and an element content, 7140.Layer Data Element 7171 contains an element context, 7131 and an elementcontent, 7141. Layer Data Element 7171 contains an element context, 7131and an element content, 7141. Layer Data Element 7172 contains anelement context, 7132 and an element content, 7142. Layer Data Element7179 contains an element context, 7139 and an element content, 7149. Thecontext information, 7160, 7161, 7162, 7169, from each Layer DataElement, 7170, 7171, 7172, 7179, is coupled to the Layer Data Elementselection, 7110. In one embodiment, Part, 7103, is responsive andcoupled to 1612, 1622, 1632 in FIG. 16. In another embodiment, Part,7103, is responsive and coupled to 1712, 1722, 1732 in FIG. 17. Partprovides an input to the Layer Data Element Selection, 7110, whichselects one or more Layer Data Elements within the layer data, 7100. Theselection of an element is indicated on signal 7120 for Layer DataElement 7170, 7121 for Layer Data Element 7171, 7122 for Layer DataElement 7172, 7129 for Layer Data Element 7179. Part, 7103, can specifymore than one Layer Data Element. The specification provided by Part mayinclude “Select all Layer Data Elements”, “Select no Layer DataElements”, “Create a new Layer Data Element”, or a selection based oncomparison with context information from the respective Layer DataElements. Successful comparisons will cause the layer element selectionsignals 7120, 7121, 7122, 7132 to be asserted for the respective LayerData Element. Element selection signal 7120 is coupled to elementcontext, 7130, and element content, 7140. Element selection signal 7121is coupled to element context, 7131, and element content, 7141. Elementselection signal 7122 is coupled to element context, 7132, and elementcontent, 7142. Element selection signal 7129 is coupled to elementcontext, 7139, and element content, 7149. Element contexts, 7130, 7131,7132, 7139, output the context information on context layer data out,7171, and is coupled to Combine Context And Context Data, 7170. ElementContents, 7140, 7141, 7142, 7149, output the content information onContent Layer Data Out, 7172, and is coupled to Combine Context AndContent Data, 7170. Combine Context And Context Data provides Data Out,7102, that contains all the context and content information of all theLayer Data Elements that are asserted by signals 7120, 7121, 7122, 7129.If none of the signals 7120, 7121, 7122, 7129, are asserted then DataOut, 7102, contains no data. In one embodiment, Data Layer Access, 1710via 1712, 1722 or 1732 in FIG. 17 is responsive and coupled to Data Out,7102. In another embodiment, Data Layer Access, 1610 via 1612, 1622 or1632 in FIG. 16 is responsive and coupled to Data Out, 7102. Data In,7101, provides replacement layer data for a Layer Data Element, 7170,7171, 7172 or 7179. Data In is responsive to and coupled to Data LayerAccess, 1710, via 1711, 1721 or 1731 in FIG. 17. Data In, 7101, iscoupled to Separate Context And Content Data, 7150. Separate Context AndContent Data divides the data into two parts, the context informationwhich is output on Context Layer Data In, 7151, and content informationwhich is output on Content Layer Data In, 7152. Context Layer Data In,7151, is coupled to the Layer Data Elements to Element Contexts, 7130,7131, 7132, 7139. Content Layer Data In, 7152, is coupled to the LayerData Elements to Element Contents, 7140, 7141, 7142, 7149. Part, 7103,asserts a single signal, 7120, 7121, 7122 or 7129, to one of the LayerData Elements. The selected Layer Data Element, 7170, 7171, 7172 or7179, replaces the information in its respective Element Context (7130,7131, 7132 or 7139) and Element Content (7140, 7141, 7142 or 7149) withContext Layer Data In and Content Layer Data In. If “Create a new LayerData Element” is specified by Part, 7103, then a new Layer Data Elementis created and Context Layer Data In and Content Layer Data In is storedin the said new Layer Data Element. Data Out, 7102, contains a duplicateof the Data In, 7101, when Data In is used to create or replace LayerData Element layer data.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method providing collaboration among aplurality of users each at one of a plurality of computing appliances,each said computing appliance having an associated display apparatus andan associated input apparatus, the method comprising: displaying a firstpresentation on the display apparatus of at least two of the computingappliances, the first presentation comprising at least a part of abackground presentation, responsive to background image data; permittngconcurrent user input of user data via the input apparatus for at leasttwo of said user, said concurrent input shown relative to saidbackground presentation, said user data having an associated display,wherein said user data from each said user input is associated with arespective one of the users, for at least two of said users at arespective one of at least two of the computing appliances, said userdata having an associated presentation; storing said user data in anon-transitory memory, associatively mapped to a respective one of theusers that is providing the user input of said user data; generating asecond presentation comprised of at least a part of the firstpresentation and at least a part of the associated display responsive toretrieval of at least some of the user data in the non-transitory memorythat is associatively mapped to each of said at least two of said users;displaying the second presentation on the display apparatus of at leastone of the computing appliances.
 2. The method as in claim 1, whereinthe displaying on the apparatus is responsive to application softwarefor an interactive game.
 3. The method as in claim 1, the method furthercomprising: receiving message data having an associated displaypresentation, as communicated from at least one network connection;associating the message data for each said network connection with atleast one of the users; storing said message data in the non-transitorymemory as respective said user data, associatively mapped to therespective said user that is associated with said message data.
 4. Themethod as in claim 1, further comprising: selecting at least a portionof the first presentation as the background presentation; displayingsaid background presentation for viewing at at least two of saidcomputing appliances; wherein the user input of said user data forannotations is input from each of said at least two of said computingappliances, while the displaying a the background presentation isprovided at said computing appliances, wherein said annotations have anassociated display shown at a relative location as made relative to thedisplay of the background presentation.
 5. The method as in claim 1,further comprising: communicating at least a part of said user databetween the at least two of said computing appliances; storing saidcommunicated said user data in the non-transitory storage, stored asassociatively mapped to the user providing said input; wherein thegenerating of the combined presentation is responsive to thecommunicated said user data that is associated with the input from atleast one of said at least two of said computing appliances.
 6. Themethod as in claim 1, wherein a part of the non-transitory memory islocated within, and duplicated among, at least two of said computingappliances.
 7. The method as in claim 1, further comprising: generatingadditional user data as annotations; generating a new combinedpresentation representative of at least two of: at least a part of saidfirst presentation, and, at least some of said annotations associatedwith at least one of said computing appliances, and, at least a part of:said additional annotations; and, displaying the new combinedpresentation.
 8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the user data that isrepresentative of annotations is associatively stored in associativelymapped data layers that are associatively mapped to respective saidappliances, wherein said data layers are contained within said storage;the method further comprising: selecting at least one of the computingappliances as selected appliances; selecting the data layersassociatively mapped to the selected appliances, to be selected layers;wherein the generating said second presentation is responsive to theselected layers.
 9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the wherein thefirst presentation is provided responsive to: capturing and saving,during the first presentation, background image data for a respectivebackground image; displaying the background image to at least two of theusers; storing annotation data in non-transitory memory, responsive toan input by at least one of the at least two of the users, to provideinput of user data as annotations made by said user as made relative tothe respective background image; generating and displaying a combineddisplay presentation comprising a display of at least a part of dieannotations and a display of at least a part of the background image.10. A system providing collaboration, the system comprising: a pluralityof computing appliances, each said computing appliance for use by anassociated user of a plurality of users, each of the computingappliances comprised of a display apparatus and an input apparatusresponsive to input by an associated said user thereof; presentationlogic, providing an output of video presentation data for acorresponding video presentation; control logic, capturing and saving,during the video presentation, background image data for an associatedbackground image; display apparatus providing a display of at least apart of the background image as the corresponding video presentation,for viewing at at least two of the computing appliances; input logicpermitting concurrent user input of annotation data by each of at leasttwo of the users, for associated annotations made relative to a displayof the background image, said annotation data having an associateddisplay; storage logic storing said annotation data in a non-transitorymemory as associatively mapped to the user providing the user input ofsaid annotation data; and, display logic generating a combined displaypresentation comprised of a display generated responsive to at least aportion of the annotation data that is associatively mapped to at leasttwo of said users, combined with a display of at least portion of thebackground image, responsive to the retrieval of selected saidannotation data from the storage logic in said non-transitory memory;wherein the combined display presentation is provided on the displayapparatus at at least one of the computing appliances.
 11. The system asin claim 10, wherein the combined display presentation is provided forconcurrent viewing on the display apparatus of at least two of thecomputing appliances.
 12. The system as in claim 10, wherein the controllogic, provides the capturing and saving, at a defined time during thevideo presentation, of the background image data; wherein the definedtime is at least one of: capture of a still frame from during the videopresentation; and, a time-window from within the video presentationcomprised of a sequence of frames from the video presentation.
 13. Thesystem as in claim 10, wherein the annotation data representative ofsaid annotations is stored in associatively mapped data layers withinnon-transitory memory storage; the method further comprising: selectingat least one of the computing appliances as selected appliances;selecting the data layers associatively mapped to the selectedappliances, to be selected layers; generating said combined presentationrepresentative of at least a part of said background presentation and apresentation for at least a part of said annotations as stored in theselective layers.
 14. The System as in claim 10, wherein the storage ofthe annotation data is stored in an associated one of a plurality ofdata layers in non-transitory memory, and is comprised of storing theannotation data for each said computing appliance in a separate saiddata layer.
 15. The system as in claim 14, wherein the communicationbetween the computing appliances is via streaming of a plurality ofseparate said data streams; wherein each said separate data stream isrepresentative of the annotations as stored in at least a part of onesaid data layer, for each or a plurality of the data layers.
 16. Thesystem as in claim 10, wherein the background image is comprised of adisplay of interactive game play of an interactive game; wherein atleast a part of the annotation data is input from at least two saidcomputing appliances that are not providing the play of the interactivegame.
 17. A method providing collaborating among a plurality of users atassociated computing appliances, the method comprising: displaying afirst presentation, comprising at least a part of a background image,responsive to background image data, for viewing at each of at least twoof the computing appliances; permitting concurrent input of annotationsmade by each of at least two of the users, made relative to saidbackground image, to generate associated annotation data for saidannotations, wherein said annotation data has an associated displaypresentation; storing said annotation data in a non-transitory memory,stored as associatively mapped to the user providing the input of saidannotations, for each of at least two of the users; and, displaying acombined presentation comprised of at least a part of the associateddisplay presentation of at least some of the annotations for at leasttwo of the users, and a display of at least a part of the backgroundimage, responsive to the non-transitory memory.
 18. The method as inclaim 17, wherein the first presentation is a first video presentation;capturing and saving, at a first time during the first videopresentation, the background image data for the background image,wherein the capturing and saving, at the first time during the firstvideo presentation, is responsive to selection of which part of thefirst video presentation to capture and save as the background image.19. The method as in claim 18, further comprising: resuming display ofthe first video presentation starting at the first time.
 20. The methodas in claim 18, further comprising: wherein beginning at the first time,the stored said annotation data and stored said background imaged dataas captured video presentation data are utilized to provide the combinedpresentation as a combined video presentation, and, wherein the combinedvideo presentation resumes the associated said captured videopresentation starting from a time that occurs subsequent to the time.21. The method as in claim 17, further comprising: selecting which ofthe annotations are the selected annotations responsive to one of:selecting which of the computing appliances are selected computingappliances and selecting the annotation data for the selected computingappliances to be the selected annotations; selecting which of the usersare selected users and selecting the annotation data associated with theselected users to be the selected annotations; and, selecting that ismade by at least one of the users at at least one of the computingappliances, made relative to the background image.
 22. The method as inclaim 17, wherein the first presentation is an interactive gamepresentation.
 23. The method as in claim 17, wherein the firstpresentation is one of: text messaging, video conferencing audioconferencing, photo posting website, streaming content, photos, videos,audio, and a presentation generated from an internet webpage.
 24. Thesystem as in claim 14, wherein the storage in the data layers is furthercomprised of storing the annotation data for a combined set of theannotation data for a plurality of the computing appliances in anassociated single said data layer, wherein display of the combined setof annotation data is thereafter provided responsive to said associatedsingle said data layer.
 25. The system as in claim 1, wherein the firstpresentation is provided responsive to application software executing onthe computing appliance.
 26. The system as in claim 1, wherein thecomputing appliance couples to a networked source that provides thefirst presentation.
 27. The system as in claim 1, wherein the tintpresentation is provided responsive to video communicated from a sourceexternal to said computing appliance providing said displaying of saidfirst presentation.
 28. The method as in claim 1, wherein the firstpresentation is an interactive game.